And They Call it Rodeo
by cowgirlangel95
Summary: AU: Riley Matthews has just gone through a rough breakup with her longtime boyfriend, and Maya decides to help Riley cope with the loss with a road trip. Their first stop: a rodeo in Austin, Texas, where a certain cowboy with emerald eyes walks into her life.
1. Chapter 1

_**Fanfic preview:**_ ** _/watch?v=aDpSFPHZnB8  
The Return – What to Expect: /watch?v=OWnAT49eFH8_**

 _ **A/N: Hey all! I'm finally back with a new multichapter for you guys. I came up with this idea long before Girl Meets Texas, but I didn't come up with what I wanted after the first couple of chapters until a week before aired. So if you find any similarities between the two, along with**_ **The Longest Ride** _ **(which I have never read or watched), it is coincidental. Also, if you could please watch the two video links above that would be great. Both contain info on this fic and upcoming projects. I now present you the first chapter of**_ **And They Call it Rodeo!**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World**_

Riley sighed as she rested her head on her hand and looked at the rain coming down the window, her breath fogging it up each time she released it. It was a rather dreary day for June, and usually Riley would spend this kind of day curled up on the sofa reading a book. But not today. Nope, she was on a road trip with Maya to only a place Riley's best friend knew. Whenever Riley tried to question Maya earlier on in the trip, Maya would say one of two things: 'away' or 'a place that is for your own good.' It didn't take long for Riley to realize that Maya wasn't going to tell, so she focused on the stack of books she had brought along with them. The unfortunate part of that was she had finished all of them a couple hours after they set back out on the road again this morning. So she was left with no books and an over curious imagination trying to guess where they were going. Sometimes she'd say random places that she'd see on passing highway signs, but Maya would simply shake her head and smile. After a while of this, Riley turned on some music, hoping to alleviate some boredom, but only that could help to a certain extent. Both that and the brief imaginary stories she would come up with for the passing scenery.

"You could at least give me my phone back," Riley said after another couple of hours of listening to the windshield wipers brush away the pelting rain.

Maya shook her head as she took a quick glimpse at the traffic behind her. "You know I can't do that, Riles," she responded.

"Why? I won't talk to him, I promise!"

Riley watched her best friend sigh as Maya turned her right blinker on to enter the text stop. Not for the first time during this trip, Riley raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Maya, what are you doing?" she asked, but her best friend didn't answer until they were parked.

"This," Maya replied as she pulled Riley's phone out of her back, punched in the passcode, and began to scroll. "'Riley, please talk to me', 'I'm really sorry about it', 'I never should have done it… again. I deeply regret it, okay?', 'Could you please respond? It's killing me…'," Maya finished as she looked up at her best friend. "And that's not including filling up your voicemail. I know you, Riley. You'll forgive him and take him back! This time you can't do that. He said he changed before, and either he had everybody fooled or he was fooling himself – quite frankly I think it's the former. And the whole thing you had with him just isn't healthy anymore. You need to keep a stiff upper hand, even if it's mine right now."

Riley looked down at her hands which were folded neatly in her lap and thought about what Maya had said about James. Both James and Riley became an item in the latter half of high school, but once college hit, something about him changed. He wasn't the same sweet, angelic person Riley knew. His blue eyes lost their sparkle and his brown hair fell flat. She had come to find out that he had cheated on her a few times, but Riley always took him back because he promised he would change. He always did – until it would happen again. The last time that it happened, to her knowledge, was a year ago, so when he proposed three weeks ago, Riley said yes in hopes that her James was back. And he appeared to be. However, two weeks after that moment, Riley and Maya walked into Wilfie & Nell on a tip from Farkle, another dear friend from high school who was in town on business, and saw him cozying up in a booth with a bleach blonde. Riley's reaction quite surprised Maya, for she went up to him, threw his water in his face (soaking the blonde as well), and stormed out.

"You're right Maya – it's not healthy. Although, I do think I'm over him –"

"You're still not getting your phone back," Maya cut off. "You say that it's right for now, but you're emotions are a mess right now. You'll get your phone back once you're a bit more stable."

Riley bit her lip, but she reluctantly nodded her head in agreement with her best friend.

"Good," Maya said as she turned off Riley's phone and threw it back in her purse. It landed with a soft thud, and Maya started the car and headed back onto the highway.

After another few miles of silence, Maya turned her head and spoke, "This trip is for the best… to help you get your mind off of him."

"I know that, but could you at least tell me where we're going?" Riley pleaded.

Maya let out a sigh of defeat. "Since we'll be there in a few more hours, I don't see why not. There are pamphlets on our first stop in the glove compartment."

Riley narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward and opened the small compartment. _All this time and the answer was right in front of me._ She grabbed the small stack of papers and glanced them over, and instead of finding satisfaction in finally knowing, confusion filled her instead. "Austin, Texas? Why, out of all the places in this country, would you pick Austin, Texas?"

Maya shrugged. "Because it's completely different from anything we're used to, and –"

"I know – I could use different. Quite frankly, I don't know how you got my dad to agree on this trip," Riley commented, referencing how much her father's overprotectiveness skyrocketed since she and James ended their engagement.

"It wasn't easy, believe me – but with the combination of me and your mom helped him cave."

An amused snort came from Riley's throat as the car shifted over towards its exit. After a couple more hours, they pulled into their hotel's parking lot. It was still raining when the two grabbed their luggage from the car and headed inside to check in. Once inside their room, Riley flopped down on one of the beds and covered her face with a pillow.

After setting her things down, Maya turned around and couldn't help but shake her head. _This is why I still have her phone,_ she told herself. "So, do you want to go look around town?"

"No," Riley's muffled voice said.

"Okay, what about dinner?"

"Eating would only keep me alive."

Maya rolled her eyes as she threw herself down next to Riley and knocked the pillow off of her best friend's face. "Come on, Riles. I know it's hard right now, and all you want is for the world to end. But things will get better, and what better way is there than get out there and show the world that you're not going to let this drag you down."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

Maya tightened her lips into a thin line at the question. If it were anyone else asking, she would have flipped and avoided answering the question altogether, but this was her Riley asking. The Riley who had only _been_ in one relationship before and that was with James. Maya only had a few more boyfriends than Riley, but the only one that made her feel like what Riley was currently going through, perhaps worse, was her breakup with Farkle. One of the few times she held out hope for anything and it backfired on her drastically. Maya decided to finally let Farkle take her out on a date towards the end of their senior year of high school, and she was quite surprised when she actually enjoyed it. He made her feel like no one had ever before. He knew how to make her feel special. Whenever they were together, Maya felt at ease – like it was meant to be between them. That was until about three months ago when Farkle ended their relationship. She probably wouldn't have taken it so hard if she knew the reason why it ended, but Farkle gave her no explanation, especially since there was no indicator that their relationship was heading south. Farkle had been a bit more distant than he usually was, but when she brought it up, he said it was nothing and that he was just busy. The day after their break up, Farkle left for the other side of the country for his job, at least that's what he told Riley. Somehow, she was able to hide how she was truly feeling to Riley. Just another normal situation for Maya Hart, hide everything behind a smile and life would go on.

He would come back every once in a while, claiming to be there on business, but he still didn't give her a reason. They were still friends – sort of. The two of them talked when they last saw each other, but it was really awkward for the both of them. While she wanted to try and sort things out, she was happy that she got pulled away from their conversation about ten minutes in.

It was amazing how people could be so close one moment, then to be complete strangers the next. Maya wasn't quite sure on their last brief encounter, but it was like he was yearning to tell her something, but for all she knew she was hoping for something that would never happen. What she wanted to see probably blinded her, and she had to move on. Eventually, she did. Sometimes she would still wake up in tears over it, but Maya had accepted the fact that it was over between them, and things just weren't meant to be.

She shifted her gaze downward and forced a breath out. "Sort of. But I'm speaking generally as well. It's not good to dwell in what was, especially with James. He's not good for you, and there's no point in wallowing over someone like that." Maya tried not to laugh at herself as she listened to her own words. _Gee, I should listen to my own advice!_

Riley sighed. "I know, I know. But I feel as if I can't help it."

"He was a huge part of your life for years, Riles. It's not easy to let go all at once."

"But how do I get over it?"

Maya sat up and laced her arm around Riley's arm. "By spending time with people like me and your family. Be around people who genuinely care for you."

Riley finally let a smile come over her lips. "I think I've got that covered."

"Good. Now, let's go get some food."

OoOoO

Like the previous two days, Maya was very tight lipped about where they were going. Except today, Maya didn't cave from Riley's constant pleas and didn't tell her where they were going. Riley only found out where they were going when they walked underneath one of the huge white tents that were set up.

"A rodeo? Really Maya?" she asked in disbelief.

"Hey, I didn't think it would be interesting for me; I only saw it to help get your mind off of you know who."

Riley opened her mouth to respond, but the unexpected sound of metal on metal screeching and clanging caused them to jump. They both turned to see a bull kicking and bucking out of the shoot, and it successfully knocked the rider off of his back within about two seconds. The bull rider quickly got up and headed over to the side, limping slightly from landing on his leg wrong.

"Well," Riley began, "if it doesn't do that, I can just imagine him underneath one of the bulls' feet."

Maya looked at her best friend and laughed. "Am I finally rubbing off on you?" she asked as the two approached the ring.

Riley crossed her arms and rested them on one of the metal bars of the gate surrounding the bull ring. "I think so."

 _ **A/N 2: How did you like the first chapter? Please, let me know what you thought of it and if there is anything that I should improve on/ add. I would really like some feedback instead of just seeing 'update'; seeing that doesn't help me improve. It would be greatly appreciated :) See you next week!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews, I appreciate all the feedback; however**_ **PLEASE** _ **remember that I will update on**_ **MY** _ **time, and right now that will be**_ **once** _ **a week on Thursdays. Asking/ begging me to update will**_ **not** _ **get me to update faster; in fact, it makes me want to do the opposite. I know you guys want more, but I've tried to say the above in the nicest ways possible for months because I don't have**_ **time** _ **to update as often as you would like.**_

 _ **In this chapter I introduce a new character, RJ Blake, but he's not an OC. I'm merely borrowing him (more like giving him a better life) from another series that I love since he'd fit so well in this AU.**_

Zay quickly limped over to the side of the ring as the rodeo clowns tried to usher the bull out of the ring. Once outside the ring himself, he was met with two pairs of eyes, one set green and the other set blue. Both of them looked at him like they were trying not to laugh. However, Zay only appeared to be ticked off at one of them.

"Oh, hush it, Lucas!" Zay snarled.

At the sound of his name, Lucas lost it and let out his laughter, causing the older man that was standing next to him to erupt in laughter as well.

"That definitely wasn't your best ride," Lucas managed to say.

"Heart of Stone is not that easy to ride," Zay defended. "You'll find out for yourself here in a few minutes."

Lucas grinned. "I like a good challenge."

Before Zay could open his mouth to say something to try and wipe that grin off of his best friend's face, the other man standing with them clamped a hand down on Zay's shoulder and forced the young rider to look at him. "While what you said it's true, it doesn't excuse you from losing your focus out there, which is what you did. Losing your focus can cost you," he lectured as he continued to chew on the toothpick he had in his mouth. "You hear me?"

Zay nodded as he looked at his mentor, his features hardened from years in the rodeo and his light brown hair was plastered to his forehead due to the Texas heat and the band of his black cowboy hat pressing against his head all day. "Yeah, I hear ya, RJ."

RJ clapped Zay again and started to walk away, saying, "Good luck, Friar," before he headed off to the other end of the ring. RJ Blake came into Lucas' and Zay's lives soon after they had finished high school. The two friends had always had an interest in bull riding, so they day after graduation they headed down to the rodeo grounds to watch them practice. It was there that they met RJ. He had noticed the two teens watching each ride with a hungry look in their eyes, similar to a look he saw in another young guy several years ago. RJ came up to them, talked to them for a bit, and asked if they wanted to try. It was a rather cruel trick to play, especially since Zay wrenched his shoulder and Lucas injured his wrist from when they fell, but it helped weed out those who thought of it as a cheap thrill and those who were serious about it. Despite their injuries, both Lucas and Zay wanted more, so RJ sort of took them under his wing for the rodeo game.

Once RJ was far enough away, Zay looked back over at Lucas. "There's a difference between meeting your match once the chute opens and a good challenge."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Then I guess I'll find out for myself."

"That you will," Zay snorted as his eyes drifted over to the opposite side of the ring. He let out a low whistle at what he saw and said in a dazed tone, "Well, would you look at those two pieces of calico over there!"

Lucas closed his eyes and shook his head. He couldn't believe some of the things Zay would say at some points. "What era are you from? The Wild West? Who talks like that anymore?"

"But look at them!" Zay exclaimed as he threw his arm in their direction. "I've never seen them here before."

"Just because you haven't seen them here before doesn't mean anything," Lucas reasoned.

"Lucas, they stick out like a sore thumb here!"

Lucas finally looked over at the two ladies Zay had spotted, and he happened to make eye contact with one of them. She had long brown hair, and he could easily get lost in her doe colored eyes if he allowed himself to. After a couple of moments, he gave her a pleasant smile and a slight nod, causing her to blush so brightly that he could see it from where he was standing. She nervously tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and sheepishly returned the smile. After the current rider finished his ride, the blonde that was standing next to her said something to the brunette, causing her to jump out of surprise. Lucas let a small laugh escape his lips as he shifted his focus away from her.

Behind him, Lucas could hear Zay start to mock him. "Ooh! Someone has eyes for you buddy!"

"Oh please," Lucas scoffed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bull to ride," he finished as he walked towards the main stand.

Once there, he saw RJ waiting for him. Lucas climbed up onto the side of the cute. Like every time before a ride, Lucas felt the adrenalin pumping through his body. He released a calming breath as he mounted Heart of Stone. Lucas felt the bull move underneath him as he wrapped the rope around his gloved right hand and placed his left hand on the other side of the chute. As he closed his eyes, he could hear RJ's voice ringing through his mind. _Get everything out of your head. Just focus on the ride._

"Ready?" RJ asked.

After releasing another breath and forcing everything out of his mind, he nodded.

The chute opened, sending Heart of Stone and Lucas flying into the ring. Heart of Stone barreled out of the chute, trying to do everything he could to get Lucas off of his back. He bucked, kicked, and spun, but Lucas remained where he was. Lucas kept his focus on his balance and on how the bull moved beneath him. Sweat trickled down his brow as his focus remained – each second taking an eternity to pass.

… _Two…_

… _Three…_

… _Four…_

Lucas threw out his left arm for balance and tightened his grip. He could feel Heart of Stone trying harder to throw him off, but Lucas wasn't going to let him do that.

 _...Five…_

… _Six…_

… _Seven…_

The buzzer sounded, signaling the success of his eight second ride. Lucas slid off the bull's back and let out a whoop of delight as he flung his hat into the crowd. As if by chance, it landed in the hands of the lady he made eye contact with earlier. Lucas gave her another warm smile and headed out of the ring and approached Zay. "And that is how you do that," he teased.

It was Zay's turn to roll his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Oh, shut up!"

Lucas let out a soft laugh and clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Zay. You'll get there eventually."

"Easy for you to say…" Zay muttered.

He shrugged. "I could always show you a few pointers if you'd like," Lucas said in a half serious tone.

"Yeah, right," Zay scoffed. "That'll be the day."

"You may want to take him up on that offer," RJ commented as he approached the two of them. He extended a hand towards Lucas to which he accepted. "Nice ride, Lucas."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now make sure this one doesn't go to your head. Don't want to end up like your buddy over here."

While Zay's jaw dropped at the comment, Lucas merely laughed. "I will definitely try."

"I've had good rides, too!" Zay continued to protest.

RJ shook his head. "Yes, you have, but you need to keep your head in the game. Just because your girlfriend is coming by tomorrow to watch you ride shouldn't faze you out there. Believe me; I ought to know because I let it happen. Learn from my mistakes. Next time you do something like that could mean terrible trouble, or worse."

Zay's head drooped as he nodded lightly, thinking of the story RJ had told them long ago at how he almost lost his life over doing something very stupid. "Yes, sir."

Before anyone could say anything else, a soft voice from behind Lucas said, "Excuse me?"

The three of them turned to face whoever was speaking, and Lucas was pleasantly surprised at who it was. The girl he had seen earlier was standing right in front of him, and she was holding his hat in her hands.

 _ **A/N: Any ideas on how their encounter will go? Let me know what you think! See you next week with the answer!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: For all of those who loved RJ, he was from a show called Wildfire, he was in the third season, and he will be popping up quite a bit in the first half of the story.**_

Not being all that interested in the current ride, Riley's eyes glanced around the outside of the ring, hoping something would grab her attention. Even though they had only been there a few minutes, Riley wanted to go do something else, especially since the smell of manure made her nose wrinkle – that is until her eyes caught sight of a young man's green eyes across the ring. She had never seen such an intense green like that before for an eye color – they were almost as bold as an emerald sitting in a gold setting. Just seeing them sent a strange feeling through her chest, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. After a couple of moments, he gave her a pleasant smile and a slight nod, causing Riley's cheeks to burn with such embarrassment as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. She didn't know why she was blushing this hard, and she wished she could hide behind something until her complexion could return to its normal hue.

"What are you looking at?"

The unexpected sound of Maya's voice caused Riley to jump. Once she was fully out of her daze, Riley turned her head to face her best friend. "Nothing," she responded as she gave her an innocent smile.

However, the smile was not so innocent in Maya's eyes. She raised an eyebrow at her as she looked over at the same general direction her friend was a moment ago, and Maya saw two cowboys – one was the guy that had fallen off once they got here, and the other just started towards the chute, presumably to get ready for his ride. A mischievous grin came over Maya's lips. "Mhm, I definitely buy that," she said sarcastically as she straightened her posture.

Riley rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Maya."

Maya let out a soft chuckle. "Like I'd let you see anyone while you're on the rebound," she commented, but Riley didn't hear her. Her eyes were following _him_. Seeing this worried Maya all the more. _Just what she needs… to fall for a_ cowboy _on the rebound! What did that one song say about cowboys? They're always alone even with someone they love? Not what Riley needs; nope, nope, nope!_

Riley watched as he climbed onto the side of the chute and paused before he mounted the bull. It started to move once he was on, making the inside of the chute clang and causing her heart rate to increase slightly. A moment later, another man came to the side of the chute and knelt down so he could be closer to him. It appeared that he said something to him, but she couldn't tell from this distance. After the man on the bull nodded, the gate to the chute screeched open and the bull came flying out, desperately trying to get the man off of his back. It kicked, bucked, and desperately spun about, but the rider remained where he was – determination engraved onto his face. Riley's heart leapt up into her throat. She watched as he threw his left arm out for balance as the bull continued to spin and buck even more, sending plenty of dirt into the air. Riley bit the inside of her cheek as more adrenalin pumped into her own system. _How long does this thing last?!_

Just as she finished her thought, the buzzer sounded and he slid off the bull's back, letting out a whoop of delight as he flung his hat like a Frisbee into the crowd. Riley started to applaud with the rest of the audience, but she stopped as his hat approached her face. She raised her hands in front of her and the soft brim hit her palms. Riley clamped down on it, looked at the hat, then back up at him. Once their eyes met again, he gave her another pleasant smile. She returned it, this time without the deep blush, just before he headed out of the ring.

Maya gave Riley a puzzled look, completely lost at what had just happened. "Did I just miss something?" she asked in a distraught tone.

But instead of answering, Riley said, "I'm going to go give him his hat back." She turned to head off, but Riley didn't make it two steps before Maya grabbed ahold of Riley's arm.

"Riles, you do realize that when people do something like that, they don't expect it back?"

She nodded. "I know, but there's a first time for everything."

A worried expression came over Maya's features. "Please tell me that you're not doing this because you're interested in him." _Because if you are, we're marching right out of here_ , she thought. But much to Maya's relief, she saw Riley shake her head.

"No, I'm not doing this because I'm interested in him. I'm not even interested in him at all. Yes, he may be attractive but I don't know him, nor am I looking for any sort of relationship commitments in the foreseeable future. I need to get through the pain of what James did before I even think about dating again – if I even want to. Me wanting to return his hat is just me being me."

After evaluating what Riley just said for a few seconds and concluding that she was in fact telling the truth, Maya let go of her best friend's arm. As she watched Riley smile and head off to go find him, she couldn't help but smile. Not even twenty four hours into the trip and Riley already seemed more level headed. _Look at my Riles… she's all grown up,_ she thought just before she headed after her.

By the time Maya had caught up with Riley, she had almost reached him. He was standing with two other riders, the one they had seen earlier and another that appeared to be quite a few years older than the two others, and all three were amidst in some sort of conversation, none of which Maya understood, but neither did Maya want to understand what they were saying, nor did she care.

Like her usual self, Riley timidly approached them, despite the one she wanted to talk to had his back facing her. "Excuse me?"

Their conversation dwindled down and all three of them turned to face her. The one she had come to see gave her another smile as his emerald eyes met hers. "Hi," he greeted. "Can any of us help you?"

Hearing his voice sent a small chill up Riley's spine, although she couldn't understand why. "Hi… I, uh, just wanted to give this back to you," Riley said as she extended the hat towards him.

He happily took it and spun it in his hands. "Thanks. To be honest, I didn't expect to see this again. Not that I would have minded, but I appreciate you returning it."

"Yeah, well," Riley began as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I figured you may want it back."

The cowboy about his age let out a snort as his smile spread across his lips. "What did I tell you, Lucas?" he prodded.

The young man standing in front of Riley – Lucas – rolled his eyes as he smacked the guy in the chest with his hat. "Shut your mouth, Zay."

"Tell you what?" Riley asked playfully as she crossed her arms, suddenly intrigued at what this Zay person had said.

"Oh, don't listen to him," Lucas explained as he fixed the crumpled part of his hat and placed it back on his head. "His mouth tends to get him into trouble."

"Like his head does during his ride," the older rider said as he smacked Zay upside the back of his head, causing his hat to fall over his eyes and a small whimper to escape from Zay's lips.

"Thank you, RJ; at least we all can agree on something," Lucas half teased, causing Riley to smile again.

"Anyway," Maya stepped in, "Riley, we should probably get going. Still a lot more left to do."

"Okay," she returned. "It was nice meeting all of you."

"You as well. Thanks again for returning my hat," Lucas replied.

"You're welcome," Riley said as she began to walk away, making the last thing Lucas saw from her was her captivating smile.

That smile remained in his mind for the rest of the day.

 _ **A/N: Hope you liked their first meeting! Have a happy and safe New Year's Eve and I'll see you next week :)**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: I'm really sorry for how short this chapter ended up being. The next two chapters will make up for it, I promise. And for those asking questions about Farkle and Maya: answers are coming later on in the story, just be patient – this story has barely got off the ground.**_

Maya led Riley into one of the bar and grills that was relatively near their hotel. Once the two of them stepped inside, a wall of stale cigar smoke and alcohol reached their noses. Riley quickly forced a breath through her nose to try and avoid smelling all of it, but there wasn't much she could do. The two of them headed to a small table towards the middle of the place. Quite frankly, Riley wished they could have gotten another table that was closer to the back, and it wasn't because of the ever growing haze in the room. Right now, she just wished she could get as out of sight as she could, which would be easily accomplished if the back corner tables were open.

After a waitress came over to take their drink orders, both of them plucked one of the menus that were nestled between the napkin stand and the ketchup bottle. "What are you thinking about getting?" Maya asked after a few long minutes of silence between the two.

Riley shrugged as she turned the menu back over. "I'm not sure… I'm debating between either one of the specials or the strip steak. How about you?"

"Probably the ribs. To me, it looks like the best option on here, although yours options don't sound half bad either."

Once their waitress came over with their drinks, they placed their orders and began to sip on their ice waters. "So, how are you liking the trip so far?"

Riley set her glass down on the cardboard coaster and began stirring the ice with her straw. "I definitely like that it gives me quite a bit of downtime, and I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"Anything to help."

"What are we doing after this then?"

Maya laughed as she took another sip of her water. "Nope, still not saying! You'll find out when we get there."

Riley rolled her eyes as she rested her head on her fist. "You could at _least_ tell me how long we're staying here."

"Riles, I think you're missing the point. This whole trip is so you don't have to worry about anything and to get your mind off of certain things. How can you get your mind off of those things if you won't relax?"

She crossed her arms. "Maya, you can say his name. It's not like saying 'certain things' isn't going to make me remember."

Maya sighed. "I know. I just don't want to say the rat's name."

Riley nodded her head and opened her mouth to respond, but never had the chance to respond thanks to someone saying, "Why hello there," a voice said suavely.

Both Riley and Maya looked over at who had just greeted them. It was one of the cowboys that they had seen at the rodeo… Zay, if Riley recalled correctly.

Maya raised her eyebrow at him and folded her arms in front of her. "Can we help you?"

A small smile spread across his lips, but before he could say anything, Lucas came running over towards them and clamped a hand down on Zay's shoulder. "Hey… again. I would like to apologize for anything he said or what he was about to say. Just ignore him. He tends to act before he thinks," Lucas explained as he began to direct his friend over towards the bar. "Have a good evening."

Both Riley and Maya's eyes followed them as they walked away, and then the two friends looked at each other. "What do you think that was about?" Riley asked.

Maya shrugged her shoulders as she saw them sit down at the bar and placed their order. "I don't know. One thing is for sure. That first one is crazy."

Riley nodded in agreement as their waitress came over and set their plates in front of them. "That's for sure."

* * *

Zay shook his head as he and Lucas took their normal seats at the bar. "What did you do that for?" he asked.

Lucas shook his head as he ordered two pints for themselves. "I could ask you the same thing," he retorted as he set his hat down in front of him.

"You know why I did it."

The bartender set down two beer glasses in front of them. "Please, enlighten me," Lucas said as he spun his glass around and took ahold of its handle.

"There's no sense denying it," Zay explained as he too picked up his beer mug. "I saw the way you looked at that little filly earlier today. Admit it, you like her. I was just trying to help get the wheels in motion," he said in a matter of fact tone.

Lucas nearly choked on his beer as he listened to Zay. "Are you kidding me?" he nearly shouted as he rolled his eyes. "Zay, buddy… would you knock it off? I don't even know her! How can I like a girl in _that_ way without knowing anything about her?"

Zay shrugged as he took a sip of his drink. "Wouldn't be the first time something like that has happened to a guy."

"But I'm not that type of guy."

"True. But you got to admit, she's definitely pretty."

Lucas wrapped his hands around his glass and let out a frustrated sigh. "There's more to a woman than her looks. You ought to know that."

Zay raised an eyebrow at Lucas' last comment. "Are you trying to say something by that?"

"Remember the last time you tried to set me up with someone who you thought looked good?"

"Which time?"

Lucas let out a groan. "I'm talking about last month. What was her name – Missy? Remember how she turned out?"

Zay raised his arms in defense. "Hey, how was I supposed to assume she was actually a witch?"

"By not assuming anything and actually getting to know them first."

"Okay, so I admit Missy was a mistake, along with the other girls I tried to set you up with, but this one does not seem like the others," he commented as he looked over his shoulder towards them again.

Lucas tightened his lips into a thin line. "And what makes you say that?"

Zay gave him a look as he answered. "She returned your hat, dude! Who else but a caring person would do that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. But can we please talk about anything else besides my love life?" Lucas asked. To him, it seemed like Zay was trying to set him up with someone ever since high school and none of his suggestions ever worked out. True, Lucas didn't date much, but that was because he wasn't really looking. If the right woman came along, he would know. Somehow, he would. There wasn't any use trying to force the issue. "Besides, you said yourself that they probably aren't from this area. What are the odds of my seeing her again?"

Zay let out a snort. "Okay, Mr. Grumpy Pants."

 _ **A/N: Again, I'm sorry about the shortness. See you next week!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Just so you know, updates may start to slow down. I'm heading back to college here in a few days and that will leave me with less time to write.**_

Riley let out her breath in a steady rhythm as her feet continued to hit the belt of the treadmill. So many things were racing through her mind, and they all were the source of one person. James. She increased her stride as she tried to beat the memories out of her mind. It was hard for her to believe that she was working out at this hour in the morning, but she didn't exactly have a choice. Maya was still sleeping away soundly, so that left out talking with her. Riley knew that Maya would be more than willing to wake up to talk with her, but she just didn't want to bring it up, especially at six in the morning. The point of this trip was supposed to help get her mind off of him, and Riley wasn't so sure how Maya would react. Okay, that wasn't true. She would most likely be supportive in trying to help, but right now Riley wasn't exactly sure at what her mind was doing so it would be hard to explain. Everything was a jumbled mess; all the good memories and the bad ones. However, most of the good ones had her mind under their control.

She recalled the times he took her to the Smalls Jazz Club, and then to Café Nadery afterwards. All the great conversations they had during their walks around the city. Ice skating during the winter then off to The Path Café afterwards. The two of them dancing the night away in Washington Square Park after visiting her uncle, Josh, at New York University. Those times were so romantic it was perfect.

The memories brought a small smile to her face for a brief second, but then the reasons she was here came rushing to the front of her mind, causing her feet to push off the treadmill with much force as streams of sweat came down from her forehead. Him being unfaithful several times over the years despite promising each time he would never do it again. He would promise to take her somewhere, and then would not show up. And then the next day, she would get a rather poor excuse as to why. Riley shook her head as she pumped her arms faster. The fact that he _finally_ appeared to change, and he stayed that way for over a year. Then Farkle caught him. Riley will never forget the look that James gave her when she walked into the restaurant and made eye contact with him. She could feel the fire burning behind her own eyes as he saw the fear in his.

Riley shook her head as she urged both herself and the treadmill's belt faster. _How could I have been so stupid?_ she yelled at herself as she tried to pound out her frustrations into the ground. _I should have listened to Maya after he cheated on me the second time. All I saw was the good, and that blinded me. Stupid… stupid, stupid, stupid! Now look where that's gotten me._ She inwardly sighed as she shook her head. _Who knows… maybe this whole thing happened for a reason._

She slowly brought the treadmill's speed back to a light jog for her cool down. With any luck, by the time she was done with her workout, Maya would be awake. As she wiped some of the sweat off of her brow, Riley heard the door of the empty gym open. When she looked over to satisfy her ever present curiosity, her eyes widened as she saw Lucas heading over towards the weights. To be honest, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. First they saw each other at dinner last night and now here? _I didn't think Austin was this small!_ she thought. It didn't appear that he had noticed she was in the room. Riley slowed down her treadmill and grabbed her water bottle. She was all for leaving right away and let him to whatever he was going to do, but her mouth apparently had other plans.

"Are you everywhere?" she asked in a joking manner. Even though it sounded as if it was meant as a joke, Riley felt her heart stop. She couldn't believe she had just said that.

Lucas looked up at the sound of her voice and made eye contact with her. He let out a soft laugh and gave Riley a smile. "It would appear so," he teased back. "So, what are you doing here this early in the morning?" Lucas asked as he picked up a set of dumbbells. "Usually there's no one in here this time of day."

Riley crossed her arms as she approached him. "What, do you have a schedule of how many people come and go?"

He shook his head as he began his arm curls. "No, I just stay here a lot for the rodeos on this side of Austin. Usually there's no one in here when I'm here."

"Where do you live?"

He shook his head again, refusing to answer. "My question first."

Riley let out a sigh. "I couldn't get back to sleep, so I thought I'd try to run off some of my frustrations."

Lucas looked back over at her and gave her a concerned look. "Do you need to talk about it?"

"No offense, but it's not really any of your business. That and I barely know you."

He shrugged a bit. "Fair enough… Now to answer your question: I'm from a small town on the other side of Austin. I stay there when I'm not on the road. Most people haven't heard of it so I just say I'm from this area."

"Understandable. How often do you participate in rodeos?"

"Depends on the year, really," Lucas explained as he set the weights down. "There are rodeos and bull riding tournaments that go on all year and are all over the country. It depends on what RJ can find for me and Zay. You remember seeing RJ yesterday?"

"The older bull rider that was by you," she recalled.

Lucas nodded. "That's him. He knows what's best for us."

"How long have you been doing this?" Riley asked.

"Quite a few years now, actually. I pretty much started once I got out of high school. So, what's a girl – excuse me, young lady – like you doing here? You don't seem to be the country girl type."

Riley bobbed her head from side to side as she mulled over how to answer. "You would be correct in assuming that. I'm from New York City."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Someone from New York City coming to a smaller rodeo on the edge of Austin? I'm guessing there is a story behind this?"

She nodded. "You would be correct, but again, it is none of your concern," Riley answered, sounding a bit harsher than she had intended. She could tell Lucas noticed the slight edge in her voice as she watched his eyes widened ever so slightly. Riley bit back a curse for letting her emotions get the better of her. But then again, letting her emotions out was a part of who she was. She wasn't good at hiding them, and at times she couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad thing.

"Is what's causing this and the reason why you came down to exercise related?" Lucas asked gently, hoping that she would allow him this much.

Riley let out a sigh as she leaned up against the equipment behind her. "They're actually the same."

"Then whatever it is, I hope you'll be able to solve it."

Silence fell over the two of them for a few moments, neither of them exactly sure of what to say next. Finally, Lucas spoke again. "How long are you staying here?"

She shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. This whole thing was my best friend's idea, and she's been pretty silent on any sort of details. So, I'm just along for the ride… literally."

"Well, I'm here for the rest of the week. If you need anything, don't hesitate to contact me. I can give you my number if you would like."

Riley was taken a bit off guard at Lucas' comment, but she quickly pulled up her phone, brought up a new contact, and handed her phone over to him. He typed his number in and handed the phone back. "Thanks," she replied a bit quieter than normal.

"Hey, it's no problem at all."

Just as Riley gave him a smile, her phone went off. She quickly looked down to see a text message from Maya, reading: _Where the heck are you?_

Riley quickly texted back: _Went down to the gym to work out. I'll be back in a couple minutes._

"I really hate to do this, but I have to go."

Lucas smiled and nodded. "Alright. If you ever need anything around here, don't hesitate to let me know."

Riley returned the smile. "I won't."

As she turned to leave, Lucas called out one more time. "I hope everything works out with what's bothering you."

She turned back around once she reached the door. "Thanks," Riley smiled. "I really appreciate it. Good luck with the rest of your rides," she returned just before she slipped through the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Riley awoke to the blaring sound of Maya's alarm interrupting her deep sleep. At first, Riley rolled over and tried to head back to sleep, hoping Maya would shut it off in a few seconds, but the sound continued to pulse through her head. She brought her pillow over her ears and wondered why in the world her best friend wasn't shutting off the alarm; however, that effort was short lived thanks to Maya knocking it off and onto the floor.

"Nope, none of that!" she exclaimed, somehow being this cheerful this early, as she turned off the alarm. "Time to head to our next destination."

Riley rolled back over, looked at the clock sitting on the night stand, and glared at her best friend. "Are you serious right now?" she groaned. "It's five in the morning!"

Maya crossed her arms and smiled. "Yep! We got a sixteen hour car trip in front of us and I want to get there before tomorrow breaks. Now, here," she said as she threw Riley's clothes at her. "Get dressed; you can sleep in the car."

"Sixteen hours?!" Riley gasped. "Where in the world are we going that will take us sixteen hours to get there?"

As she slung her bag over her shoulder, Maya gave Riley a look that Riley had become all too familiar the past few days. "I'm not saying," the two of them said in stereo.

Once Riley quickly got dressed, brushed her teeth, and quickly braided her hair, the two of them checked out and headed to their car. "By the way," Riley began. "How in the world are you awake right now?" she asked, knowing full well that Maya was not a morning person by any means.

"Coffee is a wonderful thing," she replied as she held up her thermos.

"I thought you hated coffee; couldn't stand the taste."

The two of them threw their bags in the trunk and closed it. "It's called lots of creamer and sugar."

Riley rolled her eyes as she headed to the passenger side of the car. Just what the world needed right now, a caffeinated _and_ a sugar high Maya. _This car ride shall be interesting,_ she thought as she sat down and pulled out her phone. Riley felt that since the two of them were heading out, she should text Lucas and let him know. She owed him that since he offered to help them around if the need ever arose.

 _Hey Lucas. I just wanted to let you know that me and my best friend, Maya, are heading out right now. Thanks for the offer, though! Good luck with the rest of your shows here!_

With a rapidly beating heart, Riley hit send and set her phone in her lap just as Maya got in on her side of the car. Even though she was outside of the car at the time, Maya saw Riley had sent the text, and she was worried that _he_ was trying to talk to her again. Maya didn't know how many text messages and voice mails she had to delete over the past couple of days; heck, she was half tempted to call James and tell him to knock it off. To be honest, that idea still was in the front of her mind.

"Was that James?" Maya asked as she placed her purse down by her feet and put the keys in the ignition.

Riley shook her head. "No, it was Lucas, the cowboy we kept running into. I saw him again yesterday morning, and he said if we needed anything to let him know. I thought it would be the right thing to tell him that we were heading out."

Maya nodded as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "Okay… but if James calls one more time I'm answering the phone and giving me a piece of my mind… again."

The two of them laughed. "Maybe he'll listen this time," Riley suggested.

"Yeah, I was kind of lenient on him last time, wasn't I?" Maya recalled.

Her best friend shrugged. "Perhaps."

After a couple of moments of silence, Riley's phone went off again. Maya raised a questioning eyebrow, but Riley assured her that it was alright by showing her that it was a text message from Lucas. Riley opened the message and smiled at what she read.

 _Alright then. Thanks for letting me know; enjoy the rest of your trip! Maybe we could keep talking?_

Riley quickly responded saying that she would like that, set her phone down, and closed her eyes. Within a matter of moments, she had fallen back asleep.

OoOoO

Maya sat in a corner booth with her head resting on her hand, waiting for Riley to come out of the bathroom before their food had cooled off. She didn't know how long she had been in there, but since she had nothing to do to keep herself occupied, every second that past felt like it took an eternity.

One of the phones sitting in front of her on the table started to buzz. Maya looked over and saw that it was Riley's phone going off right next to her best friend's purse. She picked it up and looked at the number as it continued to ring – it was James.

As she continued to let the phone buzz, Maya debated on whether she should answer for Riley so she could try and show this moron what was what. _Well, I did say that if he called again I was going to do just that_ , she thought as she pressed the receive button with her thumb and held the receiver up to her ear.

" _Riley! Thank you_ so _much for_ finally _picking up! Listen, I truly am sorry about what happened, okay? That girl meant nothing to me at all –_ nothing _. Can you please give me another chance? I'm not that guy I was in college,"_ he babbled, making Maya want to either laugh or throw up. She honestly couldn't believe at what she was hearing as she kept silent. _"…Riley?"_ James asked.

"Yeah, you're about four girls too late," Maya replied coldly.

"… _Maya,"_ she heard James say through gritted teeth. _"Listen –"_

"No, how about _you_ listen for a change. I'm sure that last girl meant nothing to you. That's why you two were cuddling so close in that booth. You broke my best friend's heart for the last time there, buddy. If I _ever_ catch you trying to talk to her again, you're going to have me to deal with – and face it, it's not something you want to see," Maya growled.

"… _If you could just let me explain to Riley –"_

"You're funny. She's heard enough of your lies, and she won't be hearing anymore of them," she said in a low tone before she hung up the phone and nearly slammed it on the table. Remembering it was her best friend's phone, Maya set it down gently and bit the inside of her cheek.

A few seconds later, Maya heard the voice of her best friend right beside her. "I take it he called again…"

Maya looked up and nodded slightly. "How much of it did you hear?" she asked, knowing Riley's curiosity.

"The last minute of it or so. I really appreciate you doing that for me."

"Anytime, Riles. Now, let's head back on the road!"

OoOoO

They got off the highway and reached their destination as the clock neared eleven o'clock at night. Riley awoke just as they got on the ramp, seeing the city name painted on the sign of the exit: Chicago. A small smile spread across her lips as she let her head lean against the door. Both Riley and Maya had gone to Chicago several times throughout their years of friendship. The first time was on a school trip, and the two of them enjoyed it so much that they returned every couple of years.

Riley's eyes drifted downwards towards her phone, and she noticed a new notification on the screen. She pressed it and saw a few text messages in her inbox. The first two were from her father and her brother, asking how the trip was going. The last one was from Lucas. The two had been texting on and off during the trip, and she must have fallen asleep soon after she sent her last text. She smiled as she opened the text message that was sent a couple of hours ago:

 _Hope all is going well!_

Riley typed up her response:

 _Thanks! We actually just arrived at our next destination: Chicago. I absolutely love it here!_

She set her phone back in her lap and looked out the window, eager to get to the hotel so she could get some decent sleep. As soon as they pulled into the parking lot and checked in, Riley's phone went off again.

Lucas' reply read: _I've never been._

 _I'll have to show you someday. It's simply amazing!_

A few seconds later, another message from him came in. _I may take you up on that offer._

OoOoO

After spending the entire morning wandering around the city and taking in some of the sites – including Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute, Adler Planetarium, Cloud Gate, checking out the Sears Tower, and spending some time on the Magnificent Mile for some shopping – both Riley and Maya wanted some time to kick back and relax and possibly grab something to eat. And like the rest of the trip, Maya knew exactly where to go.

As the two approached the bar and restaurant, McGinty's, Riley raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Out of all the places in this city, like Berghoffs, you choose this place?"

Maya smiled as she shrugged her shoulders. "I thought something new would be nice for a change. We've been to Berghoffs the last couple of times we've come here. That and I've heard that this place is really good," she explained as she opened the door and stepped inside.

Riley shrugged her shoulders and followed her best friend inside the Irish pub. The two of them scanned the area. There were several tables scattered about the main part of the restaurant, only a few of them containing customers, and there was a bar over to their left with an older overweight gentleman with silver hair drying a beer mug behind it. They linked arms and went over to the bar and sat down.

"What can I get ya?" the older man said as he set the glass down and leaned on his part of the bar.

"What do you recommend, Mr.…?" Maya trailed.

"The name is Crumb, and why don't you two ladies take a look at the menu," he suggested as he reached for two of the small menus and set them in front of them.

"Crumb?" Maya began. "What kind of name is Crumb?" she asked, trying not to laugh as she did so. While Riley didn't think it was nice to laugh at him, she couldn't help but agree that Crumb was a rather strange name, almost as strange as Farkle and Smackle.

"One that has heard all of those types ago long before your parents were born," he retorted with a smile on his face.

Maya nodded and bit her lip. "Point taken," she replied as she looked at the back of the menu.

"Decide on anything yet?

Riley nodded. "I think I'll get the specialty burger with a sweet tea."

"Make that two," Maya added.

Crumb nodded and went to shout their order to the kitchen just behind him. As he did this, another man, carrying a newspaper in hand, dashed behind them and headed towards the door. However, before he reached it, he paused. The man turned back around and approached the two.

"Maya Hart and Riley Matthews?" he asked

Both Maya and Riley gave each other a confused look. Neither of them knew this man, so how did he know them? The two best friends looked him over. To Riley, he appeared to be in his late forties, possibly fifty years old, dark brown hair, and eyes to match. He wore a worried expression on his face, as if he were late to something. "Yes?" Maya finally replied.

"Uh, don't go near The Field Museum – they're doing some construction and it's not all that stable," he warned just before he dashed out the door.

Again, Riley and Maya exchanged confused glances, not understanding what had just happened at all. "How did he know I was planning on taking you to that museum?"

"I see you met Gary Hobson," Crumb said as he set their drinks in front of them.

They reached for them and took a sip. "If that was who just left, then yeah," Riley commented.

Crumb let out a laugh and shook his head. "Hobson is a strange one – somehow he knows when bad things are going to happen."

"How does that happen?" Maya asked.

Crumb shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. But what I've come to learn over the past twenty years is that he's right – one way or another."

"How did you find out about it?" Riley wondered aloud.

"He interfered with enough of my investigations. After a while, I began to realize that somehow, he was right and started listening to what he had to say."

Maya held up a hand. "Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa. Investigations? You were a cop?"

Crumb crossed his arms. "Yeah, I was. And a darn good one, too. So don't you forget that."

"Yeah, yeah, sure…" she trailed. "But how does a cop go from that sort of life to becoming a bartender?"

"Retirement," he explained. "That and the person Hobson originally had twenty years ago was terrible. I don't care if the guy was his best friend, he didn't know how to mix drinks worth a darn."

The two girls laughed at Crumb's story as an orange tabby cat hopped on top of the bar and started purring in between the two best friends. Both Riley and Maya started petting it as his purring grew louder.

Crumb let out his breath. "And then there's him."

"What's wrong with him?" Riley asked as the cat meowed at Crumb.

"First of all, it's not sanitary to have a cat in here. Two: no matter how many times I get him out of here, he somehow gets back in. And three: he always pops up just before Gary heads out to help people. It's been doing the same thing for twenty years – I don't know how the thing is still alive."

"Just lucky, I guess," Riley smiled.

"Hmm, sure."

As Crumb turned to head back into the kitchen, the cat let out a disapproving meow before he jumped down and trotted away. A couple minutes later, Crumb returned with their plates and set them in front of Riley and Maya. "Enjoy."

The two girls started to dig in. "So, what are we going to do after this?"

Maya shrugged. "The museum was what I had planned, but I guess we can't do that now. We could always go shopping again."

Riley smiled as she took a bite out of her hamburger. "Sounds good to me!"

 _ **A/N: *sigh* I couldn't help but add another crossover in here. Crumb, Gary Hobson, and the Cat are all from Early Edition – about a guy (Gary) who gets tomorrow's newspaper today. I originally wanted to do a full crossover between the two, but I couldn't get enough of a plot, so I added them here. Let me know what you liked/ disliked/ what I need to improve on. Until next time, lovelies!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Somehow I found time and motivation to write. I don't know where it came from, so consider it your lucky day!**_

" _So, how has your season been lately?"_ Riley asked.

Lucas smiled as he wiped the sweat away from his brow that had formed thanks to the early July heat. "Oh, you know. Same ol' same ol', same stuff that I told you last time you called. Just doing the best I can, and trying to keep Zay in line," he explained, the last comment making Riley quietly guffaw. "Haven't had much time to do anything else but that, but that's okay. I don't mind it. I should be getting some time off here soon, though. How about you? How's the job going?"

" _Oh, it's going great! Just got back from a trip to Pittsburgh, which was amazing. I'm actually heading to Central New York here in a couple weeks with my Uncle Shawn. I haven't been there in ages. That, and I haven't really been to the areas we're going to which is a perk. New territory to discover."_

"Where are you two headed?"

" _First stop is the Catskills and the Cooperstown area for a few days. Shawn did something similar with the Rockies not that long ago, so Hit the Road wants him to do it with this area, and Cooperstown is going to be a separate article. Then after that we're headed over to Western New York to cover the Little World's fair and the surrounding area."_

Lucas raised his eyebrow at the last place. To him, he didn't really understand why they would be covering such a small fair. "Sounds like quite a handful for such a short period of time. Any particular reason for the Little World's fair? I've never heard of it before."

" _It will be, but I can't wait for it. And I hadn't either until I got the assignment, but I was doing some research on it and it's bigger than I originally thought. Quite a few county music big wigs have performed there before. Also, a few years ago Luke Bryan admitted to fishing at one of the surrounding lakes, so Hit the Road thought it would be interesting to do a story covering the life in a small town. Actually, it's not one single town, but several hamlets…"_ Riley trailed.

"Well, I hope you enjoy it!" he smiled.

" _Thanks! Uncle Shawn said that there were some places that he wanted to show me while we were there, so I'm really excited about it! I don't get to spend as much time with him as I'd like to. One would think that since we work for the same company we would, but we don't. We're on different assignments for most of the time."_

There was a brief silence between the two, and Lucas could hear something going on in the background before Riley's voice came back on over the speaker. _"Darn it, I have to go. Bye Lucas!"_

"Talk to you later," he replied.

Lucas let out a sigh as he pressed the call end button on his phone. He really wished Riley didn't have to go so soon, but they'd talk again sometime in the near future. However, for him, it was getting harder and harder to hang up – and it scared him.

Somewhere behind him, Lucas heard the sound of someone's tongue clicking. Immediately, he knew who it was – there was only one possible option, especially with how much flack he had been getting from him the past month. Lucas simply rolled his eyes as he turned around to face Zay, whose arms were crossed and a huge smirk was plastered across his face. "Would you stop? We're only friends," he protested, knowing where Zay was about to go.

Zay shook his head. "Sure, sure you are."

Lucas' eyes narrowed to slits. Despite his words, Zay still went there. "It's the truth."

Zay's arms raised his arms in surrender. "Okay, okay, don't go all gung-ho on me, cause I know I'll lose in the end no matter what," he replied as the two leaned over on one of the metal gates for the ring.

After a long silence between the two, Lucas somehow found himself asking Zay, "Why do you keep prodding me about it?" To be honest, he couldn't believe that he had said it, but part of him just wanted answers. He wanted to know why Zay was doing it despite his constant assurances that they were only friends. They weren't going to get anywhere with him snapping every time Zay mentioned it.

"I don't know how to describe it exactly," Zay began. "But ever since you ran into her, you've been acting different. Not different enough for most people to notice, but because I'm you best friend, I have noticed. You're acting more like a gentleman, not that you didn't already, but more so, even though she's not around. You look like a moron every time you see her name pop up on your phone. After you hang up, you mope around for a moment before you get back to the guy I know. Need I continue?"

Lucas shook his head. "No…"

"See my point?" he asked, but he didn't get any response from Lucas. "You feel something for her, don't you?"

Lucas turned around to face the outward wall of the tent and crossed his arms. "I'm not exactly sure…" he trailed, and before Zay could roll his eyes, he added, "but I haven't felt like this towards someone before either."

Zay clapped a hand on Lucas' shoulder. "It's okay buddy. But there's no point in denying it either."

"And there's no point forcing a concept on me that may not be true," Lucas retorted.

"Good point," Zay added.

Before they could say anything else, RJ called out to both of them. "Okay boys, chit chat time is over, time to get your butts in gear."

The two of them walked over to where RJ was standing, and before Lucas could shift his focus to the task at hand, he thought, _What if Zay is right?_

* * *

Riley dropped her phone on her bed and allowed a small smile to come over her lips. She really enjoyed her conversations with Lucas, and the fact they were fairly frequent made it even better. Their friendship had really grown over the past month.

As Riley walked over to her closet to grab her purse, the sound of her brother's voice filled the room. "So…" he trailed, "who was that?"

Riley whipped around and saw her brother leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed and a stupid smirk spread across his face. This wasn't the first time Auggie had done something like this for as long as she could remember. "Hey, you little spy!" she protested as she slung her purse over her shoulder.

"I'm not so little anymore," he countered.

She rolled her eyes as she slipped her shoes on. "You're my little brother, so it still counts. How long have you been standing out there?"

The smirk grew as he straightened his posture. "Long enough. So who were you talking to?"

"A friend," she responded as she walked past her brother and out of her room.

"Mhm. I know all of your friends, and I don't think I know this one."

"Oh, I'm sure," she commented flatly. She knew for sure he didn't know all of her friends, mostly the ones she made in college, and he was trying to guilt her into telling. Luckily, Riley knew his tactics and dodged his comment. "And the point of this story is that you need to stop eavesdropping on my conversations," Riley said as she continued on down the hallway and walked into the living room.

"Who's doing what?" their mother asked, who was sitting at the dining room table working on some sort of file.

Riley crossed her arms as she faced her mother. "Auggie was eavesdropping on my phone call and now he's trying to get information that is none of his business. I don't mean to sound like I'm still twelve years old, but he won't cut it out!"

Topanga set down her pen and stood up to face the two siblings. "Auggie, you know better – there's a difference when your father wants to look out after her and being a nuisance. Got that?"

Auggie nodded silently and mumbled something that sounded like an apology, but Riley wasn't exactly sure.

"Thanks, Mom. I'm heading out to meet dad. I'll see you all later!" she bid as she headed out the door.

"Any time honey, and enjoy!"

 _ **A/N: I am so sorry at how short this chapter is! I am not good at writing Zay at all. Everything that Riley mentioned about the Little World's Fair and Luke Bryan are true. I don't really care for Luke Bryan's music myself (minus Crash My Party), but I find it neat that he fishes about 10 minutes from my house. Anyway, let me know what you thought of it!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: I am so sorry at how long it's been in between updates. College has gotten the better part of me, and I had suffered from a huge stroke of writer's block, along with several other things. Hopefully this longer chapter will tie you over!**_

The gentle tones of Riley's alarm filled her room at 4:30am, causing her to stir. As much as she wanted to turn it off and then roll over to go back to sleep, she knew she couldn't. She was chancing it by getting up right now instead of a half hour ago like she probably should have. Shawn was stopping by to pick her up at five for their assignment. It took nearly four hours to get to their first destination, and they had to get there by 9:30. _At least it's not a flight_ , she thought. With a tired sigh, Riley pushed back the covers, turned off her alarm, and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. Once her hair was brushed, she headed back into her room to pick up her bag, just as Shawn sent her a text saying he was parked outside the apartment. Riley slung her bag over her shoulder and dashed out of the apartment. Once she was in the car, she looked over at Shawn who was holding a to go bag from Topanga's along with a cup of tea.

"Food for you," he said as he plopped the bag in her lap and set the cup in the cup holder closest to her.

Riley smiled as she opened the bag and grabbed the breakfast sandwich out of it. "Katy let you in early?" she asked, but it was more of a statement than it was a question.

Shawn nodded as he pulled away from the curb. "Yep. I put in an order yesterday and she said she'd have it ready for me before we left. So, are you ready for one of the biggest assignments we'll have all year?"

Riley shook her head in amusement and sighed, not sure if Shawn was being serious or not. Sometimes, she couldn't tell. "I guess. I just don't see how it could be that big. Anyway, I'm looking forward to spending some time with you – even if it is in small towns."

A small smile crept over his lips. "You'll see how big it'll be. Cooperstown isn't what you would call a small town – where the Little World's Fair is, is what you would call a small town. Besides, you'd be surprised at how many people stay in areas like that for vacations instead of a big city like where we live. They're absolutely beautiful."

Riley shrugged her shoulders as she took a bite out of her sandwich. "Whatever you say," she responded, but she still didn't quite believe him. She had to be able to see it for herself. Riley knew that small towns could be quite amazing; Maya had driven them through several on their trip. She couldn't deny they were beautiful, but she couldn't see _how_ people could stand staying there all the time. _But I guess I'll find out with this fair, won't I?_ she thought.

Once she had finished her sandwich, Riley took her earbuds out of her pocket, plugged them into her phone, grabbed her tea, and listened to her music as she gazed out the window. A few minutes into the ride, Riley's phone buzzed from an incoming text. She smiled as she saw it was from Lucas and quickly replied.

Even though the even lasted less than thirty seconds, it didn't go unnoticed by Shawn. He had never seen her smile like that before. _Is there something going on that I don't know about?_ he wondered. "So, who was that?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Riley leaned back into her seat as she set her phone down. "Nobody in particular," she replied nonchalantly.

Shawn didn't press any further, even though he knew Riley probably wasn't being completely honest with him. As she returned her focus to the passing scenery outside the window, Shawn's thought process began to go into overdrive. If the text was from Maya, she would have said so. Same if it was from one of her family members. Was it from a guy? If so, who was he and did Cory know? Heck, did Riley even know how broad her smile was? Shawn shook her head as he gazed out at the road in front of him. Sometimes it took Riley's mind a while before it recognized her own feelings. He knew that there was a disconnect between the head and the heart at times, but Shawn always felt that hers was a bit more than the average person. Riley wasn't one to express how she felt because she had always believed that others needs should come before her own. Ignoring your own feelings can lead to confusion at times; that is until they grow to the point where it's like they explode inside of your chest. Again, Shawn looked over at Riley and saw that she had fallen back asleep. He shook his head and decided that he wouldn't mention any of his thoughts to her. For one, she needed to figure things out on her own if it was what he was thinking, and two all of what crossed his mind was speculation.

OoOoO

So far into the trip, Riley had to admit that Shawn had been right. They had arrived in the Catskills around nine in the morning, checked into their hotel rooms, then set out to roam the hills. After spending a couple hours there, they then headed into Cooperstown. At first they checked out some local shops and restaurants, but the main event was when they entered the Baseball Hall of Fame after lunch. Riley had to admit, she wasn't a huge fan of baseball – it could be long and boring compared to basketball – but it had its moments. However, when she entered the Hall of Fame, she was in awe with what they had. A baseball from the last out of the 11 game World Series from 1889, bases from other significant games, display cases containing famous players (including several Mets and Phillies displays), and much more. One of the things that really made her laugh was the statue of a cow decked out in baseball gear. She didn't know why she found it so funny, but it was. Honestly, it was much more fun than she originally gave it credit for. As the two left, Riley couldn't help but think that her father would really enjoy it in there. Then again, would she be able to get him out again knowing how much he loves baseball?

Now that the majority of their assignment was completed there, Riley thought that they would be heading back to their hotel rooms, but Shawn had other plans. Now, they were driving down a main road into another good sized town. It was definitely smaller than Cooperstown, despite seeing the college sitting in the hills. Riley glanced out the window and read the sign that welcomed them in: City of Oneonta. She raised an eyebrow upon seeing the word 'city', for it didn't seem like a city compared to what she was used to. If anything, this would be what she considered a small town. It was definitely on the other end of the spectrum for that specification.

After a few more minutes, Shawn turned into a busy parking lot and stopped the car. "Every time I'm out here, I make sure to come here – they've got some of the best grilled food you've ever had," he explained as he stepped out of the car.

Riley followed suit as she looked at the neon sign that glowed by the side of the road. Brooks House of Bar-B-Q. The two of them entered the packed restaurant, but luckily they were able to get a small booth towards the back.

"Is it always this busy?" Riley asked.

Shawn nodded as he opened his menu to look at the drinks. "Pretty much, except when they just open at eleven in the morning."

Riley's eyes widened slightly as she opened her menu and started to look at all the options they had listed, but Shawn put his hand on her menu. "Nope, you're going to want the chicken half dinner."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Really, Uncle Shawn?"

"I'm serious! It's some of the best you'll ever have… trust me."

Reluctantly, Riley agreed when the waitress came to take their orders. After they came back from getting their salads at the salad bar, Riley inhaled deeply. "If the food tastes anywhere near what this place smells like then I'll be very happy."

Shawn smiled. "Believe me, it'll taste even better."

OoOoO

Despite being stuffed with amazing food, Shawn wanted to make one more food stop with Riley that evening, despite her protests. "Shawn, if I eat anything else then I'll explode!"

"Don't worry," he laughed. "The ice cream will go down in between the cracks."

Riley laughed as they pulled into Dairy Queen. "Thanks, Shawn. This really has been a lot of fun."

"Don't thank me yet, kiddo. We still have another day's worth of fun out there."

"Alright, then!"

OoOoO

Riley looked out over the lake in awe, feeling as if she had just stepped into a painting. What was in front of her just didn't seem real at all! She had to bring Maya back up here at some point; Riley knew that she would absolutely love painting the landscape. Riley had to admit that she was wrong about small towns, while there may not be a lot to do in the town itself, the atmosphere was spectacular.

"Are you going to take any photos at all?" Shawn asked, partially in jest, just after he snapped a photo of Riley with her back turned. He had taken quite a few candids of her here, and while he wouldn't be using them for their article, he thought they would be nice mementos for the trip. That and they came out amazing! The way that the light bounced off the lake and hit her face on the last shot he took enhanced her beauty. The others he took were of Riley among the trees as the gentle breeze was blowing. _Maybe I shouldn't show Cory these photos, it'll make him all the more nervous for his little girl growing up,_ he thought.

"Sorry, Uncle Shawn," Riley called back as she took a photo of the expanding lake in front of her.

Shawn laughed to himself as he started to put his equipment away. "How about wrapping things up and heading over to the fair?"

Riley nodded as she climbed away from the lake's edge. "Do we want to get some more shots of the towns before we head there?"

Shawn shook his head as he slid his camera tripod into its bag. "Nah, we can get some more after the fair. Nighttime shoots can be good too, you know."

"I know, I know," Riley smiled as the two of them headed to his car.

OoOoO

Riley had an amazing time at the fair, especially when everything started to light up as the sun went down. The two had gorged themselves on plenty of fair food as they worked on their notes and even interviewed a few of the locals. As time went by, they checked out the equine shows, the derby, and the two of them even went on a few rides. Once they returned back to the small inn in the next hamlet over in the same township, they took a few more dozen photos before returning to their rooms for the night.

While she should have gone straight to bed, Riley stayed up with her notes scattered in front of her on the bed, trying to figure out what she wanted to feature or not. About a half hour later into her planning, her phone went off. At first, she thought it was Shawn telling her to tone her music down a bit or to get to bed, but it was actually a text from Maya asking how the trip went and what time the two of them would be getting back. Riley eagerly responded and told her all about the trip – making sure to feature the lake and the small town. She wasn't exactly sure when the two of them would be back, but she texted back saying that Shawn wanted to leave around six.

A few seconds after she hit send, her phone started going off again, but this time it was a phone call. With an eyebrow raised in confusion, Riley picked it up and saw that it was from Lucas. She smiled as she accepted the call. "Hey."

" _Hey! I didn't expect you to still be awake so I was going to leave you a message. How did your trip go?"_

"It went really well; a lot better than I originally intended. Now I'm just sorting through my notes to see what I think would be best to feature before I head out early tomorrow morning."

There was a slight pause on the line before Lucas responded. _"Isn't it close to midnight there?"_

"Yeah…" she trailed, sounding a bit guilty.

" _Then shouldn't you be heading to bed? I don't mean to be pushy but…"_

Riley laughed. "Yeah, I probably should. Even though I'll be able to sleep in the car tomorrow, I still need a better night's sleep than what I'd get then."

" _Then I'll let you head to bed. Have a good night. I'll text you tomorrow."_

"I'll be looking forward to it. Good night."

 _ **A/N: So what did you think? I hope to see you soon (keep your fingers crossed)!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Holy crap… I'm so sorry for the wait in between updates. I realize it hasn't yet been two weeks, but it feels like it's been a lot longer.**_

Auggie set down his fork and clasped his hands in front of him. "So Riley, are you going to tell us more about your trip? You barely talked about it to us after you got back since you were busy hanging out with Maya... which I don't understand because it _has_ been two weeks since you got back."

"You know, I'm right here, too there Auggie," Maya said as she grabbed her glass of water. "You don't have to talk like I'm not here."

The rest of Riley's family continued to eat while they listened intently. "Okay, okay…" Riley said. "Although I'm not sure what else there's left to tell from when I got home. I told you about the Baseball Hall of Fame – and if you and dad ever went there, I don't think we would be able to get you out of there for a long time."

Cory let out a soft chuckle as he pushed some of his food around his plate. "That is probably true. Add Shawn into the mix, and I don't think you _would_ be able to get us out of there. I'm actually surprised that you didn't have to drag him out of there yourself."

Riley laughed as she pushed some hair out of her face. "Considering we were on an assignment and a time crunch, which probably helped a bit. But that was a lot more fun than I originally thought it would be, same with the fair. You know, I never would have thought a small town could be so interesting. It felt like I stepped onto another world, really. The landscape was beautiful, the lake that we visited was breathtaking, and I could actually see the stars at night."

"You can see stars here," Auggie interjected, not all that impressed with where Riley's story was going. He was hoping for something more interesting, but then again, he wasn't sure why he was expecting this extravagant story like all of her other assignments. Those were some interesting places – Long Beach, Hershey Park, and the Grand Canyon – all amazing. Two small towns within the period of three days; what could they have been able to do besides what was on their itinerary? From what he had heard so far, he was right – not much, yet Riley still seemed so fascinated by it all, which he didn't understand at all. What was there that the city didn't have?

She shook her head. "Not like this. Even though there were lampposts lining the streets, you could still see more stars than we could ever see where we are. It made me feel very small but it was still wondrous. Other than that there's not really much else that happened…" she trailed before her phone started to ring. Riley quickly looked down at her phone, saw who the call was from, and sent it to voicemail.

While the rest of Riley's family continued on in another conversation and didn't seem to notice the phone call, Maya caught a glimpse of Riley's phone before she declined the call. "Was that who I think it was?" Maya whispered.

Riley nodded her head slightly as her jaw clenched. "Icksday on the Lucasbay…" she muttered tersely in reply, hoping that her parents didn't hear her.

"Wait, so they don't know?" Maya replied a little bit louder than she intended, but she didn't realize it until Mr. Matthews spoke.

"Don't know what?"

Both Riley and Maya inwardly cringed at her father's words. Neither one of them had meant to bring him up like this – then again, Maya wasn't sure how Riley was going to bring him up in the first place. Right now, that didn't matter. She turned to Riley and mouthed 'I'm sorry,' to which Riley shrugged her shoulders slightly as she turned to face her dad. "Oh, Maya was just asking about a friend I made on the trip we took two months ago," she replied, hoping that her father would somehow leave it at that, but she knew he wouldn't. All it was doing was postponing the certain fire storm that was going to happen at any moment.

"Uh huh…" he responded as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. "And who is this person exactly?"

Riley closed her eyes and bit her lip before she responded. "His name is Lucas," she replied as she braced herself for her father's response.

Cory's eyes widened so much that Maya feared they were going to pop right out of his head. "What?! How long has this been going on?!"

"Since we met at the rodeo…" she trailed, her voice growing quieter with each word.

"Oh, so he was a spectator that you ran into?" he asked. Riley noticed that his voice was starting to lose its protective edge, but it was still strained – he was trying to reign in his fury. And this period of 'calm' wouldn't last long, especially with what she needed to say next.

Riley rubbed the back of her neck as she spoke. "Uh, no… he's a bull rider."

Hearing her answer made Cory's head drop to the table, barely missing his plate. "Don't you realize how crazy those types are?" he asked as he shot back up. "It's as if their heads aren't screwed on straight! Maya, I thought you were supposed to be looking out for her on that trip!"

Before he could say anything else that he would later regret, Topanga placed her hand on Cory's shoulder. "Cory, calm down. You're overreacting."

"How can I calm down when I'm worried for my little girl?"

Riley let out a sigh as she rested her head on her hands. "Dad, I'm not a little girl anymore."

Cory slumped his shoulders slightly as he rubbed his hands over his face. "I know… I know. I just don't want you getting hurt again."

"I get that, but Lucas is just a friend, dad, okay?" she stressed. "This was why I was afraid to tell you about him. I knew you'd overreact to it, but you really shouldn't have to."

"I'm really sorry, Riley. I just…" Mr. Matthews trailed, not sure where to go next.

Topanga shook her head as she stepped in for her husband. "It's not that he means it, Riley. It hurts him to see you hurt so much. When James betrayed you, he probably felt almost as much pain as you did. He doesn't want you to be like that again."

Riley looked down at her hands, and then at her father. "I appreciate that you don't want me to ever feel like that again, but you can't act like this every time I meet a guy who may or may not end up being part of my life somehow. Lucas is a friend – we talk quite a bit, but that's all we are right now. Just friends. Besides, I've been traveling so much lately that I don't really have much time to start thinking about a relationship now – especially after what happened with James. There will come a time where someone will be held in a higher regard, and I have to take the chance of breaking my heart again in order to find that happiness. It's just a part of what relationships are. Not everyone will be as lucky as you and mom, and some people have to go through some pretty rough patches before they find that one person. If I'm the latter, then so be it."

Cory bit his lip. "I would do anything to make sure that that wouldn't happen, and I guess sometimes I just get a bit carried away. I'm really sorry… I'll try not to go overboard, but there are no guarantees."

A small smile crept over Riley's lips. "That's all I ask," she responded before she stood up and headed off to her room.

Maya stood up to follow her, but before she could move beyond the table, Cory made her stop. "They're only friends?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"If anything happens – whether it's between her and him, or someone else – you will watch out for her?"

Maya allowed herself to smile slightly. Mr. Matthews asked the same of her when Riley first started showing some interest in James. Whether or not he sensed something that Riley hadn't yet, or he was just being his usual overprotective self, Maya wasn't sure. "Hey, the promise still stands, and I started long before you asked me the first time. I haven't let up on my duty yet, and I'm not about to start."

After Cory gave her an approving nod, Maya headed off to Riley's room. When she opened the door to Riley's room, Riley was sitting at her bay window, phone in hand, and staring at the opposite wall.

Maya placed her hand on her hip and leaned on the door's edge. "Daydreaming?" she asked, causing Riley to shift her focus from the wall to Maya.

"No, just lost in thought," she replied before she shifted her focus yet again, this time to the floor in front of her.

Maya walked over to the bay window and sat beside her best friend. "Anything in particular?"

Riley nodded. "Sort of. Just the whole conversation I had with my dad. I knew he would overreact, but at the same time I don't see why he would either. I mean, he's never even met Lucas –"

"– which could be his reason. A guy he doesn't know spending time with his daughter? I mean, he trusts me to help steer you out of harm's way, but sometimes a father can see things that others can't," Maya explained. Knowing how Mr. Matthews tented to react from back in high school, Riley really shouldn't be surprised.

The brunette bobbed her head from side to side. "Okay, touché, but Lucas is a really good guy. You saw that yourself, right?"

Maya nodded. "From what I saw, but you've talked to him more than I have."

Riley let out a sigh as she rested her head on Maya's shoulder. "Why am I so uptight about this?"

"I don't know, Riles, but I wouldn't worry about it. Just take everything that happened with a grain of salt," she tried to explain. "Who knows, maybe your upcoming assignment in a couple weeks will help ease your mind from all of this."

"I really hope so."

"Anyway," Maya continued. "I should probably get going. I still have some things to finish for work tomorrow," she finished as she opened the window.

A small smile crept over Riley's lips. "After all these years, you still prefer to leave through the window. Ever think about using the front door every once in a while?"

After Maya climbed through the window, she turned back around and shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, not really my style – for here anyway. Besides, it's like having my own personal door to the apartment. I'll talk to you later, girl."

* * *

"Cory, why are you making a big deal about this?" Topanga asked as she began to clear the table, soon after Auggie took to his room. "You can't do this every time Riley meets someone," she explained as she scraped the plates and put them in the dishwasher.

"I know, Topanga, I know," he responded as he picked up his own plate and brought it to the table. "I just want to do anything I can to help protect her."

"Yeah, but that's not going to help her grow at all. She has to be allowed to do her own thing at some point," she countered.

Cory sighed at her words. "That sounds like something Feeny would have said at some point."

Topanga let out a soft chuckle as she thought back to their beloved teacher fondly. "Knowing him, he probably did. So maybe it's time to take that advice and gear it towards what's going on with Riley."

"It's going to be hard."

"Who said life would be easy?"

Cory crossed his arms. "No one."

 _ **A/N: I'm sorry if I'm making Auggie sound a bit like a brat – it's not my intention, he just misses his sister. Hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you soon!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: *peeks out from underneath desk* ehehe…College stress honestly sucks. I'm so, so sorry for the long wait. I've been so crazy busy that writing inspiration didn't come to me until last night.**_

As she turned off her car, Riley allowed a small smile to grace her lips. Ever since her and Shawn's story had been published on _Hit the Road's_ featured column on their website, it became one of their most popular articles. Because of this, _Hit the Road_ decided to continue with the _'Small Towns, Big Fun'_ feature. Their goal was to try and feature a small town once or twice a month. Riley had started researching some in New York State for the upcoming months, and came across a small rodeo and fair that would take place a couple weeks from that point. Naturally, Riley volunteered since she enjoyed the last trip so much, and her superiors agreed. So here she was – back in Western New York. She was originally excited for this trip in the first place, but after her father found out about Lucas, the excitement turned into desperation to get away. Maya was right – she needed to get away to clear her head. Ever since her dad found out, Riley had been on the defensive about Lucas, and she didn't know why either. Her father hadn't bugged her about it since, so what was the reason? If they were just friends, why was she acting like this? _What if…?_

Riley cut herself off from finishing her though as she grabbed her notepad and stepped out of the car. She slung her camera bag over her shoulder and headed over to the main event area while she looked over the schedule of events. There was mutton busting for some of the kids, mother/ daughter tournaments, roping competitions, father/ son races, animal shows, and even a couple of bull riders towards the end of the day. There were also a few other smaller events, like a mechanical bull riding contest, but she suspected she would only be able to touch on those lightly. Although she wished she could touch on everything a bit more, but that was the problem with words limits. She liked to think of them like movies – everything you want to add sometimes ends on the cutting room floor.

She arrived at one of the main show areas just as the mutton busting started. As each kid took their turn trying to stay on the sheep for eight seconds, Riley scribbled down notes and even managed to talk to a couple of the riders so she could get some more information on it. After about half of the kids took their ride and tumble, Riley headed over to the barns where the show animals were kept. Despite the strong presence of the smell of manure, Riley continued on inside and began to snap some pictures. For whatever reason, the smell didn't bother her as much as it had the first time. She chuckled to herself as she snapped a picture of a beautiful palomino, which walked over to her and nuzzled Riley once she lowered her camera. Feeling the horse's velvet nose against her fingers made Riley feel at ease, and it made her start to lose herself in thought.

"Marvelous creatures aren't they?" a voice asked from behind her.

Riley didn't realize how long she had been daydreaming, for the voice brought her back to the current moment and startled her – which also startled the horse a bit. She looked to see where the voice was coming from and saw a familiar pair of emerald eyes glinting towards her.

"Lucas," she breathed. Out of all the places she could run into him, she ran into him at a small rodeo in a middle of nowhere town in Western New York. "W-what are you doing here?" she asked, stuttering slightly. Once the question left her lips, she realized how stupid it sounded, but it was still a valid question all the same.

Lucas smiled. "Well, there are a couple reasons. The obvious: I have a ride here today, but it doesn't count for anything. The other is that I come up here to relax… one of my buddies helps run this place, and when I asked him if he knew of any places to get away, he mentioned here – which included him taking care of my travel costs. The only thing he asked in return is that I do one ride for him. Sometimes I just need to get away, you know? It's nice to not have to worry about anything."

Riley nodded. "Yeah, that I do."

"So, I take it you're here on assignment?" he asked as he gestured towards the camera hanging around her neck.

Out of habit, she looked down at it and took the camera in her hands. "Yeah, _Hit the Road_ loved what Shawn and I did last time, so they want to try and make it a bimonthly occurrence, if possible. There's only so much we can do on our schedule."

"That's good to hear! What else have you been up to? Haven't heard from you in a while," he commented as the two of them slowly started walking down through the barn.

Riley closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry about that… I've been so busy, and I've gotten myself worked up over things as of late that I forgot to return your calls."

"Nah, don't worry about it. Just wanted to make sure you weren't avoiding me," he returned in a joking tone, making her smile. Seeing her smile like that made Lucas' heart swell ever so slightly. "In all seriousness, I just hope everything is okay – because I know how much you were hurting last time, and if you ever need to talk, I'm here to listen."

She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Don't worry, I don't think I could ever avoid you," Riley responded. "These past couple of weeks was just about me trying to sort out some things. Last time we saw each other…" she trailed, not sure if she should get into this now. But if she was going to help get over him, it was good to talk about it. "Last time we saw each other, Maya was helping me get out of a huge mess. I had just broken up with my fiancé and…" Riley trailed again, allowing for a long pause to come between them.

"You don't have to talk about this now if you don't want to," Lucas offered.

Despite his reasoning, Riley shook her head. "No, I need to stop keeping it to myself. My ex fiancé and I met during high school, and for the longest time I thought I was going to end up like my parents – a perfect, never ending love story that started early on in life. Then we went to college and something changed inside of him. He stood me up several times, cheated on me, and begged me to take him back every time – saying that he would change. And I did despite my best friend's and my parent's urgings because all I saw was the good in him. Eventually, he appeared to have changed, and then he proposed. Not long after I said yes, one of my friends who was in town spotted him in a restaurant cuddling up with a girl. My friend called Maya and me, and I dumped him there on the spot. The trip Maya took me on was to help clear my head."

Hesitantly, Lucas placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Riley. He made a major mistake in doing that to you – quite frankly, I don't think he realizes what he's missing. You're a great person, and anyone would be lucky to be with you."

A small smile started to come over Riley's lips. "Thanks," she replied, hoping that Lucas didn't detect her shortness of breath. Feeling the warmth of his hand seeping through her tee shirt caused her heart to race. As much as she wanted to continue in this moment, she knew she had to end it before anything else happened. Her eyes drifted to her watch and she realized the time. "I hate to do this, but I really should head back to the main arena. The roping contest is starting soon and I want to try and get some good shots in," she explained. "You could join me, if you like." She thought she had only said the last bit in her mind, but she quickly realized that she had indeed said it out loud. Riley had to admit that it was a rather good idea, especially since they haven't seen each other in quite a while, but she was still surprised that she had said such a thing. Boldness was not her strong suit – that was Maya's area of expertise.

Lucas smiled brightly at her suggestion. "I would like that very much," he replied, and the two of the turned around and headed back to the main tent. Once they reached the fence, Riley changed her camera lens and readied herself for the start of the competition. As the gate opened, she brought the eyepiece up and started snapping photos. Instead of watching the roping as he usually would, Lucas kept on glancing at Riley through the corner of his eye. She was so calm and focused as each pair competed; she didn't even waiver when the calf dodged towards them and away from the pounding of the horses' hooves. There were several times where he had to try and force himself to watch what was happening in the ring, but it was no use.

OoOoO

To both Lucas and Riley, the rest of the day seemed to pass by fairly quickly. Once Riley covered the father/ son and mother/ daughter competitions, along with the animal shows, the two of them were able to find some time to talk. But it wasn't long before Lucas had to go get ready for his ride.

However, before he headed towards the chute, Lucas asked, "Hey Riley, uh, are you doing anything later tonight?"

Riley raised a confused eyebrow as she answered. "Other than drafting my article and going through the photos I took, no."

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner with me. I know a great place not too far from here, and it would give us a chance to catch up."

Riley wasn't sure how long it took her to respond – to her it seemed like time had stopped. Eventually, she managed to stutter out a yes before Lucas smiled, gave her a time when he'd pick her up, and headed off. Once he made his way towards the chute, Riley blinked and released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. _What the heck just happened?_ she wondered.

Unfortunately for her, she didn't have a chance to go over what had just happened, for someone over the loud speaker announced, "And for our final event of this fine evening, a good friend of this rodeo, Lucas Friar, will do what he does best as he takes on Stampede!"

Riley raised her camera just as the chute opened and the bull came bounding out. She was only able to get a few decent pictures before Stampede made a sudden move about five seconds into the ride, causing Lucas to slide off of his back. Riley suspected that if the ride actually counted for something, Lucas would have fought for it – but since he was here for fun, there was no point in risking some sort of injury. The crowd let out loud whoops and whistles, congratulating the young bull rider as he made his way out of the ring and back towards Riley.

"Nice ride," Riley commented once Lucas was within earshot, but in all reality she had no idea what she was talking about.

Lucas smiled as he stopped in front of her. "Thanks. I'm sorry, but I have to go take care of something before we head to dinner. I'll see you then?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah; I'll see you then," she replied as her stomach started to form knots.

 _ **A/N: Let me know what you guys thought of it! Pretty please? I love hearing what you all think of it. Hope to see you soon!**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Papers, homework, and labs, oh my! Gosh I was hoping that I wouldn't go nearly another month without an update. Honestly, where did April go? Gotta love college… I'm not all that happy with this chapter, but it's needed for the story development so I couldn't skip it.**_

Riley stood in front of the mirror that stood on top of the small dresser that was provided for her. Despite it being a simple dinner between friends, she was nervous beyond belief, and the beauty of it was that she wasn't sure as to why. She had taken at least an hour to decide on an outfit – to be honest, she felt ridiculous. Not for the first time that night did she wish Maya was there to help her – help her get her head screwed back on straight. Riley shook her head as she sat down on the edge of her bed. She should have tried to call her earlier, but between writing drafts for _Hit the Road_ , editing her photos, and then getting ready, she didn't exactly have the time to give her a call. Now, there was only five minutes before she was to meet Lucas in the hotel lobby.

As she sighed, Riley looked down at her phone, only for it to show that a minute had passed by. With a frustrated sigh, she slid her wallet and her keys into her small purse and slowly made her way to the lobby. Riley figured that if she took the stairs, it would eat up at least three minutes; possibly all four if she walked slow enough. She couldn't help but shake her head as she made her way down the steps. _Listen to yourself,_ her mind scolded in a voice sounding very similar to Maya's, _you're making such a big deal out of nothing. Just be yourself. It's not like it's a date or anything._

Like she had hoped, the walk down to the lobby had taken the remainder four minutes. Once her eyes started to scan the small area, she immediately spotted him near the door, dressed in a button down shirt and a pair of slacks. She quietly approached him, and once he was in hearing distance, she said, "Hi."

Lucas turned to face her and smiled. "Hey. Ready to go?"

Riley nodded as the two of them walked out of the hotel and headed down the sidewalk.

Things were rather quiet between them as they kept walking – luckily, it didn't take long for them to reach the restaurant. Once the two of them were seated and placed their drink orders, Lucas decided to break the silence between them, even though it wasn't awkward for either of them. "So," he began, "is there anything else fun going on for you? I know you enjoy your job, but you can't work all the time."

Riley chuckled lightly as she tried to think. "Well, Maya and I have hung out quite a bit – trying not to get ourselves in trouble in the process," she joked, despite how very true it was. "Let me see, what else have I done… my dad and I have been spending more time together. Whenever I'm not on assignment we'll either go to dinner once a week or go see a play. It's really fun."

Lucas smiled. "It sounds it."

"So, what about you? How's the riding going?"

He shrugged slightly as he folded his napkin. "It's going alright, I guess. I've been pretty lucky with how many times I've been thrown these past few months and managed not to injure anything somehow. RJ thought for sure that I had last time with how I landed on my shoulder."

"Is there anything you can do to keep that from happening?" she asked, allowing her worry to show slightly in her voice.

"Not really," Lucas began. "Sometimes the fall comes when the bull makes an unexpected move, or a combination of that and not being able to tune out all of the noise in the arena. The only thing you can do is try to move your body into a position that won't hurt as much when you hit the ground – and hope you don't get trampled at the same time."

Riley bit her lip and nodded as Lucas continued. "My next rodeo is across the country in California – where RJ is from. I'm hoping that we'll be able to see some friends that he introduced both Zay and me to. One of them is a former bull rider that RJ taught – Junior Davis. Depending on how into horse racing you are, you may be familiar with his wife, Kris Furillo."

She nodded a bit. "The name sounds familiar. Uncle Shawn used to go to the track every once in a while, and about once a year he would invite my father and me to join him. I think I saw her ride once – on Wildfire, maybe. I don't know for sure, it was so long ago, but I do remember that it was a three way photo finish, I was rather young when I last went."

"Yep, that was with Wildfire. He was an amazing horse. Kris is an amazing jockey – one that should be in the running for the Triple Crown someday."

"Think she could do it?"

He nodded. "With the right horse, anything is possible."

OoOoO

A few hours later, Riley and Lucas walked out of the restaurant and headed back to the hotel. After taking a few steps, Lucas offered Riley his arm. Riley looked at the offer, looked up at Lucas, then back down. She wasn't quite sure what to do, considering she would consider this to be something a couple would do, but she found herself taking his arm as they continued on down the sidewalk. The two of them spent the rest of the short walk in a comfortable silence. Once they reached the hotel's door, Riley slipped her hand from the crook of Lucas' arm and turned to face him. Again, there were no words – they simply gazed into each other's eyes.

After spending a couple minutes like this, Lucas asked, "When do you head back?"

"I, uh, head out early tomorrow morning."

He nodded. "Talk to you soon?"

"Definitely. Have a good night," Riley bid as she started to turn and head into the hotel.

"You too," she heard Lucas reply.

Once the door shut behind her, Riley dashed up to her room and sat down on her bed. She wasn't sure what had happened to her back there, but a new feeling gripped her heart. The best she could describe it was a warm, fuzzy feeling that filled her chest. As much as she liked it, it left her feeling so confused to her feelings towards Lucas.

And it scared her.

 _ **A/N: Let me know what you thought! I'm on my last full week of classes, then finals start next week, so I have no idea when I'll be updating next. I'm hoping that once I'm done I'll find some motivation to write. Wish me luck because I'm so stressed out right now and I have no idea how I'm not freaking out. See you next time!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: How I found inspiration to write is beyond me. I had an image in my head for a later chapter and I went with it, and now that chapter is done! Which means an update for you guys. I wish I could have given you more in here, but I squeezed it dry.**_

Ever since Riley had returned home, Maya could tell she was a bit more on edge than usual – even over the phone. Riley tried to pass it off as fatigue from the assignment, but Maya knew better. Something had happened over the trip, and Riley couldn't say it over the phone. Once Maya was able to coax her suspicions out of her, Riley refused to say anything more until Maya was there in front of her. Luckily, for Riley anyway, Maya was able to come over later that afternoon, and both of her parents and Auggie had plans that evening – leaving the two of them free of any caution. Now, Maya was listening to Riley ramble about her running into Lucas and their dinner afterwards as her eyes followed Riley around the room.

"…and when I took his arm I felt so at peace with myself, like it was meant to be that way. And of course when we parted ways, I felt as if my chest was going to explode! I have never felt anything that intense before and it scared me so much," Riley continued to babble to Maya as she unpacked her bags.

Maya tucked her legs underneath her as she leaned back on Riley's bed. She couldn't blame Riley for feeling this way at all. When it happens there's no stopping it, no matter how much you wish it would – especially if it's toward someone you're still not sure about.

"Maya… I don't know what to think anymore," Riley whimpered as she turned to face her best friend. "Help me."

The blonde bit her lip as she ran a hand through her hair. "Oh Riles… I don't know what to do. It's not like you can throw a switch and your emotions are gone…" she trailed. "Do you like him? Even in the slightest?"

Riley stood where she was for quite some time, unmoving. This alone was enough of an answer for Maya, but she wanted to hear the answer come from Riley herself – that alone would mean Riley understood. As tears filled Riley's eyes, she looked to the ground and started to fidget. "I-I don't know…" she said, her voice shaking. "I don't know, Maya! I don't!"

Maya stood up and wrapped her arms around Riley, trying to offer her some sort of comfort. "Don't worry about it for now, pumpkin. It's not worth stressing yourself out over it," she heard herself say. Despite saying this, she knew why Riley said what she had said. Riley was scared to open herself up to anyone in that way anymore, and just feeling _anything_ towards a guy caused her to try and deny what she was experiencing. She was afraid of the possible thin ice in a relationship – take a step in the wrong direction and you fall through to meet the icy water. To be honest, Maya couldn't really blame her, but if this Ranger Rick was as good of a guy that Riley had described, Riley needn't worry at all. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple. Once you've been burned, it's hard to heal. It took every ounce Maya had in her not to point all of this out to her best friend, so she settled for a subtle hint. "Your answer will come to you… just remember that you shouldn't be afraid to open yourself back up to that kind of love again, okay? Promise me?" she asked as she released her from the embrace.

Riley nodded as she wiped her eyes. "I promise."

"Good. Now, don't you think you should be talking to your mom about this kind of thing? After all, she has more experience than I do."

While this earned a soft chuckle from Riley, she shook her head lightly. "While I probably should, I don't want to."

"Why? She could probably help you towards what you're feeling towards Ranger Rick."

"Please don't call him that…" Riley trailed.

"Huckleberry?"

"No!"

"Sundance?"

Riley shook her head. "Nope."

"Bucky McBoing Boing?"

Riley narrowed her eyes towards her best friend. "He does have a name, you know."

"I know," Maya laughed. "But it's fun!" Riley couldn't help but shake her head as Maya continued. "Anyway, I really think it would be a good idea to talk about it with your mom."

"We'll see. While I know you're right, I don't want dad knowing quite yet. I don't want him overreacting again."

Maya bobbed her head from side to side. "Fair enough."

OoOoO

Since Riley still wasn't back to her usual self by the time night fell, Maya decided to stay the night. It wasn't like it was a big surprise – especially to Mr. and Mrs. Matthews. They had been having impromptu sleepovers since they were ten, and just because they were both adults didn't mean they had to stop.

The two of them had spent most of the night watching movies, but when Riley finally passed out, Maya thought it was time to do her needed 'research.' She pulled her phone out as she wrapped her hoodie a bit tighter around her torso, and opened up the Facebook app. Once it had loaded, she typed Lucas' name into the search bar. Luckily for her, there weren't that many 'Lucas Friars' in the world, and he stood out like a sore thumb. She brought up his profile and started to find out as much as she could about him – if there was any dirt on him, she wanted to protect Riley from anything that could happen. A small smirk came over her lips as she continued to browse. _Tsk, tsk Lucas… you shouldn't leave your privacy settings this low. Bad for you, lucky for me._

After a few minutes of scrolling, Maya was pretty satisfied with what she saw. He was pretty squeaky clean – a typical cowboy who often hangs out with that one guy who wouldn't shut his mouth when they were in Austin, not in a relationship (because if he was Maya would have to kill him), his taste in music was decent (she didn't always care for country, but she couldn't deny that there were some songs she liked), and he was a bit of a nerd. The only thing that made Maya raise an eyebrow was his schools. He had listed that he went to two different ones, and when Maya looked it up she found that they were only a township apart. From what she could tell, he didn't move at all… so why was this? Maya shrugged as she turned off her phone and snuggled underneath her blankets. There could have been several reasons as to why he changed schools, but out of all the ones she could think of at the moment, none of them bothered her. After closing her eyes, Maya rolled over onto her side and let out a sigh. Despite not finding anything on him, something in the back of her mind whispered to not forget that school change.

 _ **A/N: Hmmm… what could happen? Let me know what you thought! I'll be home in 12 days so I'm hoping my turnover will be better once that happens. And within those 12 days I'll be panicking because finals. Wish me luck and I'll see you soon!**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: I survived my junior year of college! Thank you all for the well wishes, they definitely came in handy during that survival time. Now, onwards!**_

To say that Riley was nervous was putting it mildly. At the moment, she was beyond terrified as she sat on the couch and continued to ring her hands. She couldn't remember the last time she felt like this, and that was saying something. This was supposed to be her vacation, she wasn't supposed to spend it filled with worry – yet that's how it was starting to look. Despite Maya's reassurances on how things would go, Riley was still a nervous wreck. Lucas had a ride nearby this week – and he was coming by to meet her family.

When Lucas mentioned coming up to visit her during her time off last week, Riley was ecstatic. But after she hung up the phone, the excitement soon turned into a pit of nerves. Coming up to visit? That meant he would have to meet her family at some point, and for some reason that thought alone sent her head spinning. The warm feeling in her chest that she had come to know whenever she was around him had returned, and it refused to go away. At first, Riley wasn't sure what to make of it, but a whisper from the back of her mind finally pushed through the wall she had built up soon after her calls with Lucas came more frequent.

 _Admit it – you like him,_ it spoke.

Riley found herself shaking as she absorbed the words. They had to be true, and she had been denying it for so long.

Riley shook her head as she fiddled with a stray thread on the edge of the couch. _Why are you acting like this? You didn't act like this when…_ she began, but caught herself before she finished her thought. Of course she didn't act like this when James first met her parents. Her dad already knew James from class, so all there was really left was for him to meet her mom. So why would there be any reason to worry? This time around, however, there was. Lucas was going to be the first boy she would introduce to her parents since her breakup over three months ago, and it was important that they liked him. Again, Riley shook her head. _Look at you… you're acting like you two are going to get together._ While she didn't object to the thought of 'them', Riley still highly doubted something would happen between the two of them.

The sound of the apartment's buzzer interrupted her thoughts. Riley shot up from her spot, let Lucas in, and impatiently waited by the door until he came up.

"Anxious much?" Topanga asked as both she and Cory entered the living room.

Riley started to blush as she turned to face her parents. "Does it show that much?" she asked quietly. She was doing her best to try and hide her nerves all morning – clearly she wasn't doing as well as she thought.

Cory nodded. "Yeah," he tried to say in a comforting way, but he couldn't really blame Riley. Having the guy she liked meet the family was a huge deal, probably as much for her as it was for him. Although he didn't want to admit it in front of Riley, Cory was hoping that this day would turn out well. From what she's said about him, he seemed to be a really nice guy, and he wanted his daughter happy. But now, it was time to see if it was genuine or just an act.

A knock on the door sounded a few moments later, and Riley opened the door to reveal Lucas, clad in a long sleeve tee with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, jeans, and his worn cowboy boots. As he and Riley greeted each other, Cory couldn't help but think, _Well, he doesn't look like those crazy bull riding types…_

"Mom, dad, this is Lucas Friar. Lucas, these are my parents, Cory and Topanga," Riley said just before the three shook each other's hands.

As if on cue, footsteps sounded from behind Mr. and Mrs. Matthews. "Hey now, Riles – don't forget about me," Maya spoke as she stepped beside Riley's parents.

Riley couldn't help but playfully roll her eyes. "And of course you remember Maya."

Lucas nodded. "I don't think anyone could forget Maya easily."

A somewhat threatening expression came over Maya's features. "Mean something by that, Hop Along?"

He smiled slightly as he shook his head. "Merely stating a fact."

"Sure…" Maya trailed.

"Anyway," Riley cut in before both Maya and Lucas took their conversation any further, knowing full well what Maya could, and possibly would, do.

After a few moments of silence, Cory began to rattle off some questions. "So, Lucas… Riley told us that you're a bull rider?"

Lucas nodded lightly. "Yes sir, I am. I've been riding pretty much since I graduated high school. It's been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and I'm glad I am able to pursue it."

"Any plans for after you're done riding?" Cory continued.

"Right now I'm taking online general education courses to try and get some of those out of the way before I attend college full time. At the moment, I'm not sure if I'll be majoring in agriculture technology or veterinary, but at the moment I'm leaning more towards the latter since I already know most of what they would be teaching in ag tech. Being raised on a farm helps with that, so it would be pointless to relearn all of that."

"That and veterinary probably has more job opportunities open across the board."

"Depending on your point of view, I would probably agree with that statement. The available options are more willing – farms are, obviously, located in more rural areas, where people have pets everywhere."

Topanga smiled as she crossed her arms. "Instead of just standing here," she started, "why don't we continue this conversation over lunch? It would probably be better than standing around here."

"Your place, mom?" Riley eagerly asked. She was fine with going anywhere, but she automatically assumed her mom's café. It was a great hangout for practically anyone – she, Maya, Farkle, and James spent a great many hours there after school, and even throughout college. It also wasn't uncommon for the entire family to end up there at some point or another.

"Nah, we can go somewhere else for a change," she replied as everyone started to grab their sweaters and headed out of the door.

"I think I know of a good place that we haven't been to in a while," Cory echoed as he shut the door behind them.

OoOoO

Riley smiled as she heard her family and Lucas laugh at something that Maya had said. Lunch had gone over well – rather well, in fact. Better than she had originally expected. Even though James had met her parents, he never had lunch with them like that before. At first, Riley wasn't sure how Lucas would fit in with her family, and he seemed to fit right in. All he had to do now was meet Auggie at some point when he wasn't hanging out with Ava. Hopefully getting those two to meet shouldn't be that hard. Riley had a good feeling that Auggie would like Lucas.

Once the group had reached the apartment steps, Riley said, "I'm going to show Lucas around. We'll be back in a while."

Both of her parents wished them a good time while Maya, being the person she was, told them to stay out of any trouble. The two of them slowly made their way down the sidewalk, arm in arm, and enjoyed the silence between them for a while.

When they rounded the corner, Riley finally decided to speak. "Well, lunch went better than I thought."

Lucas raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. "How so?"

She shrugged slightly before she elaborated on her comment. "I'm not really used to having guys meet my family," _let alone someone I like,_ she thought before she continued, " – usually my dad is very, _very_ protective and ever since I ended things between James and me, his protectiveness has increased greatly. And today he seemed so at ease. Then again, I couldn't tell what was going on in his mind, but at least I didn't see anything that set him off."

Lucas smiled as he shifted his focus. "I'll take that as a good sign then."

Riley nodded. "Yeah, I know I am…"

He heard Riley continue to talk, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. His mind was somewhere else. Ever since he really started talking and getting to know her, Lucas couldn't deny that he felt different. The more he dwelled on this fact, the more he realized that Zay was right all along. Lucas just didn't want to jump to any conclusions. Now, he realized what he had to do, and there wasn't a better time to accomplish what he was thinking of.

 _ **A/N: Hmm, what could possibly happen next? ;) Let me know what you thought of it! See y'all soon!**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Oiiiiii… writer's block has not been kind to me at all. I feel so bad because I'm more motivated to write the later chapters than I am with ones that are literally a few breaths away from this one. I'm around the halfway point of the chapter I'm currently on, so I'm hoping to get that done soon. I know what I want; it's just a matter of translating that into words. Now, for what you've all been waiting for!**_

Lucas wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as he waited for Riley to finish getting ready for their walk. It was hard to believe that the week was almost over, and that he would be returning to Texas in just over two days. The end of their time together was near, and he had yet to do what he knew he should have asked the day he came. He mentally cursed himself as he shook his head. Why was this so hard to do? After a few minutes of arguing with himself, Lucas finally straightened his posture and walked towards the dining table where both of Riley's parents were sitting. "Mr. and Mrs. Matthews?" he asked, softer than he originally intended – but his nerves were in control of him now, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Cory looked up from his stack of papers – red pen in hand – while Topanga set her book down on the table and wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. "Anything we can help you with, Lucas?" Cory spoke.

Lucas nodded as he cleared his throat. "Yeah… in a way," he started to babble, but again he mentally scolded himself. _Would you just get it over with?!_ his thoughts screamed. "You see, I've found that I care for Riley very much," he began as he looked at both of the parents, and couldn't help but notice a small smile growing across Topanga's lips, as if she knew what was coming, "and I was wondering if I could have your permission to date your daughter… officially."

A moment of silence hung over the air as Cory's eyes widened slightly and Topanga's smile grew. Cory capped his pen as he bit his lip, mulling over his answer in his mind. He couldn't deny that Lucas was a good guy – and he couldn't deny that lately Riley has been happier than she's been in a long time. He knew that Lucas was the reason for that happiness. While he didn't want to stand in the way of that, Cory had to know one last thing. "You're returning to Texas soon?"

"Yes sir," Lucas responded as he clasped his hands in front of him.

"Do you think the both of you would be able to work through the distance?" Cory asked as he began to turn the pen over in his hands.

Lucas nodded. "I've been thinking about it, and I think we could. So far our friendship hasn't suffered over it, and while I know a relationship is different, I still think we could work it out."

Cory's head bobbed up and down ever so slightly. "You have my permission, that is if Riley is willing," he said just before he turned to his wife. "Topanga?"

"Lucas, you're the most charming young man I've ever met, and the fact that in this day and age you would want our blessing makes me like you even more. Of course you have my blessing," Topanga concurred with her husband.

Lucas let out a sigh of relief as Riley's footsteps filled the room. "Ready to go?" she asked as she finished putting on her cardigan.

He nodded as Riley said goodbye to her parents, and then the two of them headed out the door. "So," he began, "where are we headed?"

Riley shrugged her shoulders as the two of them continued on down the sidewalk. "The park sound good to you?" she asked.

"Sure."

The two of them continued on in silence, and the silence continued to grow. With each step, Lucas felt the pit of nerves grow inside of his stomach. He had her parents' blessing; now all he had to do was ask her – which now seemed more terrifying than asking her parents, especially her father. Again, he didn't understand _why_ he was so nervous! Granted, he never really dated anyone before and he didn't want to screw anything up – especially now. It wasn't until recently did he realize how much he needed Riley in his life (unless you ask Zay, then he would try to prove otherwise). His mind continued to whir with thoughts of what could happen – both good and bad – until a voice broke through the cloud.

"Lucas? Are you okay?" Riley asked. He looked down to see the concern in her eyes as she continued. "You seem to be a bit off ever since we started our walk."

Even though the nerves still grappled his stomach, Lucas couldn't help but smile. He didn't know what it was, but she somehow would be able to make him smile no matter the situation – and the beauty of it was she probably didn't know to what extent. "Yeah, I'm fine..." he trailed. "I do have something to ask you, though."

A small smile crept over Riley's lips as she shook her head. "You know you can ask me anything," she replied as the two of them headed into the part itself.

"I know I can, but… but this is different."

Riley raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Oh?"

Lucas took a steady breath as the two of them slowed to a stop. "I love everything about our friendship. I enjoy talking to you after a rough day or at any time really…" he began, but soon started to trail. _I have no idea what the heck I'm doing, let alone saying_ , he thought before he continued. "What I'm trying to say is that I've really started to care for you, and I was wondering if you wanted to take the next step?"

There was a moment of silence between them before Riley spoke, "You want to try a relationship?" she asked rather quietly.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah."

Again, Riley fell silent, and her eyes widened which made her resemble a young deer that had been caught in the headlights of a truck several times its size. More silence fell over them, and quickly Lucas had thought that he had been seeing everything between them wrong. "Did I misinterpret where things were going between us?"

"No!" Riley almost shouted. She quickly bit her lip, embarrassed at her outburst, and then continued. "No… I'm just nervous about the distance aspect of it all. Both of us travel quite a bit for a living…"

"I know a relationship of this kind won't be easy, but when is any relationship supposed to be?" he argued. "A relationship contains give and take. We can meet up whenever both of our jobs bring us near each other, phone calls, video chats, I can fly up here and visit you, or you can come down to see me on my expense – "

"You do realize I can pay for my own plane tickets, right?" Riley interrupted. She knew that Lucas was just being his usual self by offering, but she didn't want to make him feel that he had to, either.

"I know," Lucas nodded, "but you don't have to."

"…you've thought a lot about this, haven't you?"

Lucas nodded again. "Yeah," he whispered.

"You really want this…" Riley trailed.

"It's not enough for me to want it," he explained. "Both of us have to want it fully. If you don't think it would be for the best, I will respect that and we will continue on as friends. But please know that I am always here for you."

Riley bit her lip again as she mulled over his words. "And if I want it as much as you do?"

"Then we will work through it," he responded as a small smile grew upon his lips.

She reached out and took ahold of his hand, to which Lucas gave her hand a gentle loving squeeze. "I think it would be worth it."

OoOoO

Riley held the phone away from her ear as she prepared for Maya's reaction to what she just told her. Luckily, she pulled the receiver away from her ear just in time to spare her eardrums from Maya's loud voice.

"You say _what_ now?!" she heard Maya screech despite having the phone several inches away from her ear.

"Lucas and I are now in a relationship," Riley returned quietly, not believing what had happened herself. For some reason, she felt that this was an amazing dream. Everything felt too good to be true. She was afraid that she was going to wake up and that this cloud nine feeling would vanish as soon as her eyes fluttered open. Riley never felt this high up in the clouds before, all the more reason why she felt it wasn't real. "Maya, am I dreaming?" she asked as she flopped down on her bed.

Maya laughed as she listened to Riley's words. "No, pumpkin, this is real. All very real. So, you going to give me details or what?"

"Well, it's the reason why I called," Riley began. "Well, we went out for a walk, and after a little bit I could tell he was a bit nervous about something. After a little bit of babbling he asked me if I wanted to take the next step. Then it was my turn for silence and some babbling and utter stuttering – you know how I get in unexpected situations," she said, earning a laugh from Maya. "At first I was a bit nervous – especially the distance aspect of it – but he helped me to see that there are ways of making it work out. And with how much we care for each other…" Riley trailed.

"I love you two together," Maya commented.

Riley was taken aback at her best friend's comment. "Really?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "I wouldn't have let him near you if I didn't. That and I have to keep up my reputation around him. Because if anything happens I will not hesitate."

"I get that. Well, I should probably go. I'm tired."

"Okay, Riles. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Riley bid as she pressed the call end button and let out a pleasant sigh. As she rolled onto her side, Riley closed her eyes and smiled. _Best day ever…_ she thought as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

 _ **A/N: Let me know what you thought of it! Hope to see you guys soon!**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Nothing like having a huge crisis when I'm not even twenty-one yet…ehehehe. I haven't felt like doing much of anything lately, and I'm just starting to get it back.**_

When they first became official, Riley knew that long distance relationships were difficult. However, she didn't think they would be nearly this difficult. Whenever she was off on an assignment it was a bit easier, but whenever she was home it was harder for some reason. Maybe it was because she was more focused on her job than on Lucas, she couldn't be sure. She missed him – a lot. The kicker of it was Riley knew she missed him when they were just friends, but now that she actually admitted her feelings about him, the emptiness she felt when they were apart felt different.

A small smile spread across her lips as she felt the plane touchdown onto the runway. After a few weeks of settling with Skype video chats and phone calls, Riley finally got to see him in person. By some chance, she didn't have any sort of assignment this weekend, which was rather strange to say the least. But Riley wasn't complaining at all. At first, Riley wanted to surprised Lucas with her arrival; however a few things stood in her way: she didn't know the area he lived in at all, she didn't really know any of his friends so they wouldn't be able to help her out, and she didn't know his riding schedule. When she called with the news, Lucas did say that he had a ride that weekend, but it wouldn't be until Saturday afternoon.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Riley finally grabbed her carry-on bag, headed off the plane, and made her way through the airport. While carefully weaving through the crowd, she made sure to send Lucas a text to let him know that she had landed and was heading towards the doors. His response was almost immediate, letting her know that he was parked a few yards away from the exit.

As she walked through the automatic doors, her eyes immediately met his. It took everything she had in her not to go running towards him. The two of them smiled as they welcomed each other with a warm embrace.

"Hey," Lucas greeted as he took her bag.

"Hi."

"How was the flight?"

Riley bobbed her head from side to side. "It was alright, I guess. I've been on worse, so I can't complain. Although I was not expecting it to be this warm here this late into autumn," she replied, rolling up the sleeves to her long sleeve shirt as the two of them climbed inside his truck.

Lucas let out a soft laugh as he put the truck in gear. "Yeah, it stays pretty warm down here most of the time."

Most of the ride was quiet, and Riley spent that time enjoying the passing scenery. Gradually, the houses became more and more scarce, and soon they were very few and far between. After spending another half hour winding around several back roads, Lucas pulled into a long gravel driveway and parked his truck.

Riley eyed the small cottage that sat in front of them as the two of them stepped out of the truck. Just by looking at it she could tell that it had been there for a great many years – the outside walls definitely showed a decent amount of weathering and wear. Even the pathway to the front porch had a few loose stones that had yet to be tended to. "So, this is your place?" Riley asked.

Lucas shook his head. "No, this is my Pappy Joe's farm. He lets me keep my trailer out back, and I tend to help him out of the farm whenever I'm free. It's a pretty good set up, actually."

Riley smiled as Lucas opened the creaky screen door and led her inside. "It sounds it."

He allowed a small smile to grace his lips as he led her through the small living room and kitchen set up and to one of the back rooms. "You'll be staying here in the house. You shouldn't have any problems – Pappy Joe is actually out of town and won't be back until late Sunday afternoon," Lucas explained as he set her bag down on the bed.

Riley nodded as she listened and looked around the room she would be staying in for the next couple of days. It was a decent size – smaller than her bedroom back home, but she couldn't complain. The walls were painted a light brown, almost the color of weathered lumber. An antique dresser stood off in the corner, opposite the bed, and a leather brown chair sat next to it. A few framed photographs hung on the walls. Two of them were of sunsets – one taken in an open field, the other amongst trees – and another of a sunny day in a pasture.

"So," Lucas began, "would you like to take a look around?"

"Sure," Riley nodded.

Hand in hand, Lucas showed her around the farm – each of the pastures they had taken a great deal of walking to reach, but Riley didn't mind. She rather enjoyed seeing Lucas explaining everything around her. His eyes would light up every time; it made her happy to see him sharing part of his life with her. One of her favorites was the horse pasture. So many of them roamed and ran about, and Lucas promised to take her horseback riding later.

Eventually, the two of them headed over to Lucas' trailer. It was smaller on the outside than Riley imagined, but then again she wasn't exactly sure what she expected. As the two of them stepped inside, Lucas jokingly said, "Welcome to my home!" which made Riley chuckle a bit. Once fully inside, Lucas started to pick a few things up that were scattered around – a few breakfast dishes and some clothes. "Sorry about the mess… I fell behind this morning and didn't have a chance to clean up fully."

Riley nodded as she sat down on the little sofa across from the kitchenette. "Don't worry about it, I get it," she replied as she took in everything around her. Overall she thought it was pretty nice for a trailer, but something caught her attention. There were several cardboard boxes stacked nearby. She understood that sometimes it took a while to finish moving, but the boxes looked too new for it to be that. "Why do you have so many boxes in here?"

Lucas shrugged as he tossed a dirty shirt into his 'bedroom'. "I'm going to be moving out of state here in a couple weeks."

"What?" Riley asked, feeling a bit confused. "Why? I thought you loved it here. Why would you leave it? How is that going to affect your riding?"

"I don't have many rides left this season that is if I don't make it into the tournament – even then that would tack on three rides or so max. I found an apartment in New York City near your family's place. That way, we'll be able to see each other more often. I don't have much going on during the winter months anyway, just training and getting ready for the next season."

Riley bit her lip as she listened. Sure, she was excited that she would be able to see him more often, but he would be giving up _so_ much if he moved up to New York. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "I am. I couldn't be surer of anything."

OoOoO

Riley set down the last box onto the coffee table in Lucas' new apartment. She knew that Lucas was going to be near her, but she didn't realize how close he ended up being. He was actually in the apartment building right next to Maya's, and jokingly she couldn't determine if that was a good or bad thing for him.

"So, how are you holding up so far?" Riley asked as she turned to face her boyfriend, who was wrapped up in several layers over by the heater.

"How do you people deal with this kind of cold?" he asked.

Riley laughed as she walked over to him and took ahold of his frozen hands. "Just wait until January."

"Sounds great," he joked.

"Anyway," Riley started, changing the subject, "I don't know if you have any plans for Thanksgiving this week, but I was wondering if you wanted to come spend it with my family. You'd pretty much know most of the people there – the only people you wouldn't know would be my Uncle Josh, my grandparents, and possibly a few others."

Lucas thought about it for a moment before he responded. "I think I would enjoy that."

Riley smiled. "Good! I'll give you more details once I get them. Usually we eat around four in the afternoon, but we tend to spend some time together before dinner. I'll ask my parents when the whole festivities will begin and I'll text you the time."

"Sounds good to me," Lucas responded.

 _ **A/N: What did you guys think of it? Really, please let me know. I could use the feedback and the motivation so I can put the few chapters I have left to write in the vault and get the rest of it out there to you. Love you guys! Hope to see you soon**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: For those that were hoping for the Thanksgiving dinner, it's your lucky day!**_

Lucas stood outside the Matthews' apartment door, dessert in hand, trying to get ahold of his nerves. He knew Riley's immediate family, that wasn't the problem – he hadn't met her grandparents, her uncles, or her aunt yet. Shaking his head, he rang the bell. _Why are you doing this to yourself? You're making a big deal out of nothing,_ his thoughts reasoned, and he couldn't help but agree.

The door opened, and Lucas was expecting to see Riley, but instead he saw a young man that looked to be a few years older than Riley was. He was about his own height, and had dark hair with eyes to match. Did Riley mention one of her cousins coming, or another friend of the family?

"You're Lucas, right?" he asked.

Lucas nodded as he remained in the doorway, noticing a lot of unfamiliar faces just inside the doorway. He saw Maya sitting at the bay window just out of the corner of his eye, but he wasn't sure if seeing her there should bring him comfort or not. "Yeah…" he trailed, not sure of what to say next.

"Uncle Josh, let him in!" Riley said as she approached the doorway to greet her boyfriend.

 _Uncle?! What?_ Lucas thought as he stepped inside.

"Lucas, this is my uncle, Josh. Josh, this is Lucas."

Josh smiled as he turned to face Lucas. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Lucas replied as Josh headed back inside the apartment. "I didn't realize your uncle was so… young?"

Riley nodded as she took Lucas' coat. "Yeah, well… anyway, let me introduce you to the rest of the family," she replied as she led him towards the kitchen. "Lucas, these are my grandparents, my father's other brother, Eric, my Uncle Shawn whom I work with, and my Uncle John. Uncle John was one of my parent's teachers in high school. Everyone, this is Lucas."

After exchanging greetings, Riley continued. "Usually we have another one of their teachers come, Mr. Feeny, but he couldn't make it this year. He and his family had something going on. And my aunt should be here soon."

Once the words were out of her mouth, the apartment door opened. "Hello family!" a bubbly blonde woman announced.

Riley smiled. "Speaking of my Aunt Morgan," she said as she led Lucas over to introduce them. Once that was over, Riley shifted her focus to Lucas, and couldn't help but notice that he seemed a bit distressed. "You okay?"

Lucas nodded slightly. "Yeah… just a bit overwhelmed. A lot of people and a lot going on at the same time."

Riley took ahold of Lucas' hand and began to lead him over to the couch. "Sorry, didn't mean to do that to you."

"No, no… it's fine. Just a lot to take in."

"Well, we have a little bit of time before dinner is ready, why don't we just relax for now?" she asked as the two sat down.

"Sounds good to me."

Maya's eyes followed Riley and Lucas as they made their way over to the couch and sat down. In doing so, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy stab her heart as she watched her best friend. It wasn't because Lucas 'stole' her away; Maya was quite happy for Riley, in fact. Heaven knows she deserves that kind of happiness in her life. Everyone did. And at the moment, Maya wished that she had it, too. That was where the jealousy was coming from. She thought she had found it, but then it was ripped away from her without explanation over a year ago. Maya thought she was over it, but seeing that kind of happiness from a different perspective made her realize that she was just hiding with it instead of dealing with the pain. She couldn't help but let out a small huff of laughter. For the longest time, she was trying to get Riley to admit her feelings towards the cowboy instead of hiding them behind the pain she experienced. And here she was avoiding her pain by immersing herself in anything but.

Out of the corner of her eye, Maya saw Josh approach the window seat and he sat beside her. There was a moment of silence between them before Josh turned to face her. "You okay?"

She nodded as she shifted her focus to her hands in front of her. "Yeah… I'm fine," Maya replied, although her answer didn't sound completely convincing to either of them.

Josh shook his head. "Maya, I know you're lying. And I know you all too well to know that. You're avoiding something."

For the first time that night, Maya looked at him in the eyes. "Y'know Josh, there are so many times that I'm glad despite having a relationship in the past, we're still good friends now, because there are just some points where I hide things so well that Riley can't see – but you can see right through me because of how close we were." As she spoke, Maya thought of her junior year of high school when the two of them decided to try a relationship. What they had was great, but neither of them could deny that there was a small something missing in their chemistry. They decided to remain friends, but unlike most couples they actually meant it, probably because they were great friends long before they decided to try anything romantic.

"I would say that is an unusual blessing if you ask me," Josh commented, making Maya smile ever so slightly.

"Yeah… right now, I just don't get why I feel so jaded. I've had other relationships go south before, yet none of them ever felt this painful. Why is this time so different?"

Josh wrapped his arm around Maya's shoulders. "I think you know the answer to that, Maya. Then again, you probably didn't need me to say that. Unlike Riley was for a long time, you know what you're feeling. There's no confusion about it."

Maya nodded as she felt a small tear start to fall down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away as she let out a sigh. "I'm just tired of feeling like this all the time."

"I know it's been a while, but it's still not going to disappear at the snap of someone's fingers. My guess is that you won't find total closure until you find out why it happened the way it did, but know this. You'll find someone that will make you feel like Riley does right now. I just know it."

"Thanks Josh," Maya said, feeling a bit better than she had a few minutes ago. She knew what Josh said was true, and while talking to him definitely helped, it just hurt that she finally had some hope in something and it was ripped away from her. However, if there was one thing that she had learned by growing up beside Riley was that even if you are disappointed about something in life, there's bound to be some sort of happiness right around the corner. It may take a while to get there, but it'll come in due time.

"Anytime, Maya. You know I'm just a phone call away most of the time if you need to talk."

"I know," she replied.

Before either of them could say anything else, Topanga's voice rang throughout the apartment. "Dinner everyone!"

All of the guests began to crowd around the kitchen table. It was a bit of a tight fit, even with the table that Shawn had brought along with him, but no one seemed to mind. Before anyone could dig into the wonderful looking food in front of them, Cory picked up his fork and clinked it against his glass to get everyone's attention.

"Before we get started, I would like to start with a tradition that I have brought to my family from several years ago. Eric, Shawn, you may recall this, but I would like for everyone to say what they've been thankful for in this past year."

Once Cory finished explaining the guidelines, Maya zoned out as everyone else spoke. At first, she wasn't exactly sure what she should say. The time since last Thanksgiving wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst either. When it came to be Maya's turn, she found herself not able to speak at first.

"Maya? You okay?" Riley asked after a moment of silence had filled the room.

She nodded as she bit her lip, as she finally found the words to speak. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm thankful for my friends and my family. With you guys in my life, I know that no matter what happens I'll be okay."

When she finished, Josh reached for her hand underneath the table and gave it a comforting squeeze, knowing that what she had just said was in reference to what they had just talked about.

OoOoO

Once everyone was stuffed with delicious food and everyone went back to their conversations, Riley and Lucas walked over towards the door, hand in hand. "Do you really have to go?" Riley asked.

Lucas nodded sadly. "Unfortunately. It's getting late, and I can tell you're getting really tired. That and aren't you and Maya going Black Friday shopping tomorrow?"

Riley couldn't help but grimace at his comment, but she knew he was right. She was having enough trouble keeping her eyes open. "Okay you win…" she trailed.

"I'll see you Saturday?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you then."

After placing a kiss on the back of her hand, Lucas bid everyone goodnight and headed home.

 _ **A/N: Okay, don't hurt me for the route I went with Joshaya. I lowkey ship them, but I feel like that if those two ever got together and then broke up, they would remain good friends, and I wanted to explore that and show that it is possible contrary to what most people think. Let me know what you thought! Hope to see you soon :)**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: I think y'all are going to be happy with what happens in this chapter :D**_

The street lamps made the snow that was already on the ground shimmer, and the snow that was currently floating through the air made Riley feel as if she were walking through a snow globe. As she continued on down the street, twirling every once in a while, Riley ran a gloved hand through her hair and smiled. She couldn't believe that this great day was almost over – almost being the key word. A great Christmas with her family was over, but now it was time to spend Christmas with the one she held dear in her heart.

She headed into the apartment building and headed up the stairs to Lucas' apartment, taking off her gloves before she reached his floor. Riley's smile broadened as she headed down the hallway and rasped her knuckle's on Lucas' apartment door.

A moment later, Lucas opened the door and greeted her with a smile. "Hey."

"Hi."

He stepped aside, allowing her enough space to come in. Lucas' smile widened as he took her coat from her and hung it up on the rack. He couldn't help but admire the way her crimson dress enhanced her beauty. Lucas wouldn't have thought it possible for her to become even more beautiful since he thought she was perfect to begin with. "So how was Christmas with your family?" he asked as he made his way back into the kitchen to finish prepping for that evening.

"It was good," Riley responded as she followed into the kitchen and sat down at the island, swiping some popcorn and chocolate from their bowl. This action earned a playful glare from Lucas, which only made Riley smile playfully in return.

"Save the snacks for later," he lightheartedly commented as he moved the bowl to the smaller counter by the refrigerator and returned to building a plate of cookies.

"Grouch," she teased back. "Anyway, it went well. Our festivities started last night as usual. We stayed up late watching our usual Christmas movies like _It's a Wonderful Life_ , and then we all got up around eight this morning. Well, I should say my parents and I did… Auggie decided that getting up at six was a much better idea. If this was a few years ago, he probably would have tried and woken me up as well," she explained, the last comment making Lucas chuckle. "After we opened presents and had our Christmas breakfast of Christmas tree shaped pancakes, we all headed our church's service. Then we met up with Maya, headed back to the apartment, spent a great deal of time enjoying ourselves, and then I ended up here."

"Sounds like a good time," Lucas said as he handed her a mug of hot chocolate.

Riley nodded as she took it from him. "It was. So how about you?"

Lucas shrugged as he spun his mug around in his hands. "Not much really. I went to the church service last night so I could sleep in today. It's a good thing I did, too. Didn't end up waking up until around noon or so. Guess I needed it more than I thought I did. RJ and his family are here visiting, so they invited me to join them for a late lunch. After I got back from that, I called my mama and then got ready for you to come over. Pretty uneventful, but I don't mind, honestly."

"Sometimes a little down time is what you need," Riley added as the two of them headed over to the couch.

Lucas nodded as he set his mug down on the coffee table and left to go grab the bowl of popcorn and chocolate along with the plate of Christmas cookies. Once the goodies were set down on the table, Lucas sat down beside Riley, turned on some Tennessee Ernie Ford, and wrapped his arm around Riley's shoulders. Riley let out a sigh just before she took a sip of her cocoa, reveling in the current moment.

The two of them remained this way for a good while. Most people would find it rather strange that they were just sitting there, but it was one of the things they enjoyed about their relationship. Sometimes, they could just sit there and enjoy each other's company without needing to find any words. They were simply there for each other. Riley also found this to be the perfect opportunity to rest her head on Lucas' chest to listen to his heart beat.

She soon found herself about to do just that, but Lucas shifted slightly and said, "Before you do that, I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wrapped box. "Merry Christmas," he said as he handed the box over to his girlfriend.

Riley set her mug down on the coffee table and took it, uttering a soft thank you before she began to unwrap it. After taking off the small silver bow and sticking it to the top of her head, Riley took off the wrapping paper and opened it, gasping a bit as she saw what was inside.

Inside laid a silver heart shaped pendant. "Lucas…" she breathed, "it's beautiful," Riley finished as she took it out of its box and put it on. "Thank you."

"Anything for the most beautiful young lady I know," he replied, making Riley blush so hard that her face nearly matched the hue of her dress.

"Anyway…" Riley trailed as she stood up, "I have something for you as well," she commented as she stood up and headed towards her coat. She reached into the inside pocket and pulled out the package, which was about a half foot in length and width. When she sat back down, Riley handed it over to him. "I wasn't exactly sure what to get you…" she trailed as Lucas tore off the wrapping paper.

When Lucas pulled off the paper, a huge grin spread across his face. It was a framed photograph of the two of them, walking hand in hand during one of their walks in the park – heading away from the camera. "How did you get this?" he asked.

"I have my ways," Riley smiled. "I had Maya hide out one day and asked her if she could sneak some photos of us during our walk that day. Honestly, if she wasn't so good at art, I think she could have become a photographer."

"I thought that was what you were," Lucas teased.

"Photo journalist, thank you very much!" Riley sassed back.

"I know, I know… anyway, thank you very much. I love it."

Riley smiled. "I'm glad. You're a hard person to shop for!"

Lucas couldn't help but shake his head and smile. "Hey Riley, can I tell you something?"

"You know you can tell me anything, Lucas," Riley commented as she leaned back into the couch.

Lucas nodded as he took ahold of her hand. "I know I can, but this is different. I need you to not freak out over what I'm going to say, okay?"

"Okay…" Riley trailed as she felt her stomach do a flip.

"You promise?"

She nodded. "I promise."

Lucas paused for a moment before taking ahold of her hand and saying, "I love you."

Riley felt her heart stop at his words. It seemed so hard to believe that he could feel this way towards her, yet it also felt so right at the same time. There were several times that those same words nearly slipped through her own mouth several times, but she managed to catch herself every time. She didn't feel as if those words should have been uttered at the time, but now? Riley found herself ready to say them back. "I love you, too."

Lucas let out a half laugh, half relieved sigh as his mouth curled into a half smile. Slowly, he leaned in closer to her. Instantly, Riley knew what was coming, and she found herself leaning in closer to him as well.

And they kissed.

Once their lips met, Riley felt a huge surge course through her, and she could swear that what she felt could have rivaled fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Riley didn't want this moment to end, but both of them needed to breathe. Soon after, the two looked into each other's eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Riles."

"Merry Christmas, Lucas."

 _ **A/N: What did you think? Let me know! Hope to see you guys soon :)**_


	18. Chapter 18

Riley let out a soft sigh as she finished putting her hair into a side braid. She looked at her reflection and couldn't help but smile. It was the first time that she was going to watch Lucas ride as her boyfriend. She didn't really get why her mind was making a big deal out of it, but it was also exciting to think about. Most of it was probably because he was riding in Madison Square Garden. She finally would be able to see him ride when it wasn't by chance. After a few moments, Riley began to tug at the bottom of her red blouse. They were going to meet up with RJ, his wife, and a couple of their friends before the event, and then have dinner afterwards. _Hopefully Lucas does well tonight, then dinner can be used to celebrate_ , she thought. If Lucas did well tonight, then he would be a sure spot for the semifinals.

After one more check to make sure everything was in place, Riley grabbed both her purse and her jacket and headed out her bedroom door. Once she entered the living room, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Lucas saying that he was parked outside. Another small smile crept over her lips. _Perfect timing_ , she thought as she headed down the stairs and out of the apartment building.

Sure enough, Lucas' truck was parked just in front of her. She smiled as she climbed into the cab and closed the door behind her just before the two of them leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Hey," Lucas greeted.

"Hi," Riley replied.

"You ready to go?"

Riley nodded just as Lucas pulled away from the curb. "So," he began, "when are RJ and the others getting there?"

"They should actually already be there. RJ had to be there early to take care of a couple things. If it's alright with you, Kris, Dani, and Junior will probably be sitting with you during the events."

"Sounds good to me. Oh, that reminds me, Maya should be coming a bit later, too. She had to wrap something up at work and she'll be right over."

"Great! Is she coming to dinner as well?"

Riley nodded. "Yep, she said she had nothing better to do."

Lucas shook his head, "Well, I'm glad she enjoys it," he deadpanned.

Riley let a giggle escape her. "She's just being her."

Lucas shook his head as he pulled into event parking and turned off his truck. "Personally, I think she says all that just to try and get under my skin."

Riley shrugged as they headed towards the arena. "Knowing her, probably."

"If you want to tell her it's not working, then be my guest."

"Nah," she said in reply as she shook her head. "I'd like to see her face when you tell her."

Lucas let a chuckle escape his lips as he pictured Maya's reaction. It would be either one of shock, annoyance, or a mixture of both. As they approached the main arena, they heard their names being called out from somewhere behind them. The two of them turned around to see RJ and four others approaching them.

"Hey RJ," Lucas replied once the small group stopped. "Riley, I'd like for you to meet RJ's wife, Dani, and then Junior and Kris Davis – Dani's brother and her sister-in-law," he finished. Riley could tell that Lucas was holding back on something – probably admiration of the, former, Kris Furillo. She was one of his favorite horse jockeys of all time. He had babbled about her before, several times in fact, and each time he did Riley couldn't help but think that it was so cute! Right now, though, he was probably trying to spare himself from certain public embarrassment.

Once greetings were exchanged, RJ pipped up, "We better head on back and get you registered. Zay is already back there." As soon as the two bull riders left, the rest of the group made their way to the bleachers, which were already starting to fill up fast.

"So," Riley began, "how did you all get to know RJ?"

Junior beamed as he started to explain. "Both Kris and I met him the same night. He convinced her to ride a mechanical bull that was set up at the local club – Bobby's. Then I come strutting in in all my glory – the mechanical bull riding champ – thinking I'm hot stuff, and he throws me and challenges me to see what it's really like. So I did – but I'm sure you've heard what he likes to do to those who are interested to see who really wants to do it."

Riley nodded. "Oh yeah – the first ride to see if you can take a fall, the rodeo clown part, all of it."

This comment earned a few laughs, and then Junior continued. "Yeah, well – our meeting with RJ doesn't compare to how Dani met him," he teased.

Dani rolled her eyes as she rubbed the back of her neck. "That's what happens when you don't tell me that you brought someone over to the house, no matter how brief."

Riley raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"I started talking to him like he was a hired hand for the stables… this is what happens when spoiled rich kid enters the kitchen and sees someone in battered jeans and an old plaid shirt. However, I'm glad that our first meeting didn't drive him away, and it only encouraged him."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Riley smiled. "How did you guys become so close? I'm sure being part of rival stables didn't help matters any."

Dani let a snort escape her lips. "Nothing could keep him away from Kris once the two met, and our other friend Matt, my ex-boyfriend, also had a thing for her. I actually hated her for a long time, partly because Matt was now looking at her instead of me, and I thought she was some ex-con jailbird out to break some hearts. But things change; however, not without a few bruises."

"Literal ones," Kris chimed in.

Riley's jaw dropped in awe. "You two used to _hate_ each other? It just seems impossible to understand since you're so close now."

"Believe me," Dani commented. "It wasn't always like this. She punched me, I tried to get her to break her parole agreements… such fun times," she deadpanned.

"Wait, you were in jail? Why… that is if you don't mind my asking?"

Kris laughed. "No, I don't mind. The first time I was trying to cover for my brother's friend. They were into carjacking, and then Jayce framed me for one of them. Soon after I got out of that one, I was arrested for stealing Wildfire."

"And she would have gotten away if it weren't for the chopper," Junior chimed in.

Riley shook her head in disbelief. "Your lives sound so thrilling compared to mine. Hearing your stories makes mine sound so… dull."

"Now, I highly doubt that," Kris reassured. "What do you?"

"Well, I live with my parents and my brother. I work with my dad's best friend for an online travel journal called _Hit the Road._ We go to different places around the country and tell you if it's worth the weekend, essentially."

"Sounds like a great life to me!" Junior said.

Riley bobbed her head from side to side. "Yeah, I guess it is. Then there's my best friend –"

"–Who is right here! What's up losers?" a head of blonde hair said as it plopped right down beside Riley as the announcer began to give a rundown of the lineup.

"Everyone, this is Maya… Maya, these are Junior, Kris, and Dani."

Once everyone had introduced themselves, Kris continued, "Hey Riley, if you ever want you're more than welcome to come and stay with us at Raintree. I'm sure Lucas would be more than happy to join you," she explained as she turned to Maya, "and you're welcome to join, too."

"Thanks."

"Thanks, Kris – I think I may take you up on that. Who knows, maybe I'll convince the editors at _Hit the Road_ to let me do a story on Raintree."

The three friends smiled as everyone shifted their focus to the events starting. Everyone cheered as each ride started. Maya and Riley made sure to cheer extra when it came for Zay to ride, and Junior found himself rooting for some of his old riding buddies.

Once Lucas' turn came, Riley felt her stomach start to form into knots. Again, Lucas was riding one of the more feared bulls at this rodeo – Tombstone. She glanced up at the leaderboard. If he did something similar to the very first ride that she saw him at, then he would have a chance at the semi-finals. Okay, the eight seconds wasn't what had to be similar with this ride – it was that he needed a miracle to happen.

She watched as he walked up to the chute. Her stomach churned as he mounted the bull as it refused to keep still. The sound of the metal clanging was enough to make Riley's skin crawl.

The chute opened.

Riley felt as if her heart leapt up into her throat.

 _One…_

… _Two…_

… _Three…_

To her, it seemed as if everything was moving in slow motion. The noise of the crowd slipped away. Soon, the only thing she could hear was the beating of her own heart in her ears.

… _Four…_

… _Five…_

… _Six…_

She covered her face with her hands as she watched Lucas be thrown from Tombstone's back, but she peeked through the cracks of her fingers to see him quickly, and safely, reach the edge of the arena and exit the enclosed space.

A huge sigh of relief seeped through her lips as she joined in the applause and looked at the leader board. Lucas was currently in second place, followed by Zay. Riley crossed her fingers as the next rider began his ride that Lucas would keep his standing

OoOoO

"Looks as if this is a congratulatory dinner!" RJ announced as everyone met up in the parking lot. "Congratulations Lucas."

"Thanks everyone. I can't believe I've made it this far, but I couldn't have made it without all of you."

Riley smiled as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

Meanwhile, Maya was gagging. "Okay, enough with the sap. Let's go get some food!"

Everyone laughed as they made their way to their cars. As Lucas started his truck, he asked, "Do you mind if I stop by my apartment and change really quick? They had showers there but I forgot to bring my extra change of clothes."

Riley shook her head. "No problem."

 _ **A/N: Hope y'all liked it! I'm so close to finishing this story and I can't wait to bring it to you! Hopefully when everything is finished I'll be updating once a week for ya :) See you next time!**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: Hey all. I'm probably shooting myself in the foot a bit by posting this since I only have about a third or so of the chapter I'm working on written, but once I get that chapter finished I'll have a nice cushion in between what I'm writing and what I have done. Also, I really wanted to try and finish this before college started back up again, but that didn't quite happen. Anyway, I'll quit jabbering. Enjoy!**_

"I shouldn't be too long, are you sure you don't want to come up and wait inside?" Lucas asked.

Riley gave him a small nod. "Yeah, I'm sure. You said yourself it wouldn't be long. I'll just wait by your truck. Maybe do a little stargazing. I mean, it's not that cold out tonight. If I get too cold, I'll just meet you in the lobby."

"Okay then," Lucas commented before giving her a quick peck and headed into the apartment building.

A small smile spread over Riley's lips as she leaned against the hood of the truck and pulled her jacket a bit tighter around her small frame. If there was one thing that she missed about travelling to rural areas was the vast amounts of stars that she could see. There were even times where she could plainly see the band of the Milky Way streak across the sky. Tonight however, there were only a few pinpricks visible. It was enough to satisfy her for now. If she was going to be stargazing for a while, she would do it when there were more stars visible.

She didn't know how long she was looking up at the sky, but she heard hurried footsteps coming from behind her. At first, she thought it was Lucas, but she soon realized her error in judgment when a cold hand clamped down on her wrist and dragged her around the corner of the apartment building. The whole ordeal made her gasp in fear, but for the life of her, she couldn't get her vocal cords to do much else. Not a cry, a scream, or even a grunt came. Once she could no longer see the apartment building's main door, she was thrown up against the brick wall. The back of her head smacked right into the wall, making her mind spin. As she brought her hand to cover the back of her head, she looked up to see who had confronted her. Once his icy eyes met hers, a chill shivered down her spine.

"James," she whispered in shock.

"Don't act like you're surprised to see me," he growled. "You had to know that we would see each other again at some point in time. And I can't believe you dumped me for _that,_ " he commented, nodding his head towards the front of the building.

Riley raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What? Do you even know Lucas? Because I highly doubt you do. He's everything that you're not and could never dream to be anymore since you went down that road… wait a second," she paused. "Have you been following me?! How long have you been doing that?!"

"Riley, come on, isn't it obvious? I still love you, and you broke my heart when you left. We should still be together, you know it! And instead you're with that!"

To be honest, Riley couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Excuse me, who broke whose heart? You were the one who crushed my heart ten times over! If there was anyone that broke your heart it was your own doing. I was the one who caught you cheating on me, yet again, after we were engaged. James, it's over, and you need to get that through your head. And you need to stop calling him 'that'. He has a name, and it's Lucas."

As if his eyes didn't terrify her before, now the emotional switch she just witnessed was terrifying. She couldn't help but wonder if this was how a deer caught in the headlights of a car felt right before it was hit by the hood. Before she could blink, he had her pinned up against the wall.

Slowly, James leaned in towards her, his lips mere millimeters from her ear. "You're gonna get what you've had coming," he growled.

Tears slid down Riley's cheeks as she tried to get away from him, letting out a small, high pitched cry, hoping that somehow, someone could hear her.

They made eye contact again, and James opened his mouth to say something as a wicked grin slithered across his face, but he never had the chance. A hand clamped down on his shoulder, spun him around, and threw him up against the wall a few feet away from Riley before he had the chance to react. Quickly, she let out a relieved gasp and turned to see Lucas pinning James up against the wall. One of Lucas' arms was pressed across James' chest, while his other hand was pressed into the wall. Even one of his legs was positioned behind him in a way that would gain him as much leverage has he could in keeping James where he was. The look etched on her boyfriend's face, however, was something that she had never seen before, and to be honest, it sort of terrified her to see.

One of pure hatred and loathing.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Lucas snarled.

James tried to wriggle himself free from the other man's grasp, but Lucas merely tightened his hold on his opponent. "Nothing that concerns you, cowboy."

A humorless escaped Lucas' throat. "Seeing how it involves potentially harming my girlfriend," he started, pressing his elbow into James' chest to try and prove his point, "I think it does."

"L-Lucas?" Riley finally managed to stutter.

He turned his head to face her, and what she saw behind her eyes nearly made her heart stop. Red – so much blind anger and hatred appeared to be bottled up, but it only lasted a second. Soon after his eyes met hers, it quickly began to fade. Lucas returned his gaze to the man in front of him and let him go, leaving him mostly unharmed – the only apparent damage was lack of air as he gasped for breath. "If I catch you near her again, you'll think tonight was some sort of two-step dance," he uttered.

James took one last hard look at Lucas, nodded, and then headed off into the night.

Riley remained glued to where she was as her wide eyes were fixed on Lucas. He ran a hand through his hair as he approached her.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked. "Did he harm you in any way?"

She shook her head. "No… no, he didn't. I-I just hit my head on the wall there, but I should be fine," Riley mumbled.

Lucas let out a guilt filled sigh. He knew where this reaction was coming from, and he couldn't really blame her. "Riley, I –" he began, but he was interrupted.

"We should probably go," she rushed. "We don't want to be late for dinner, and we don't want everyone else worrying about us," Riley explained, and then turned to head back to the truck, not letting him get a word in edge wise.

Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose as he followed behind her. He knew that what he had just done was a grave mistake, and now – he knew he was in one heck of a ride.

 _ **A/N: And Texas!Lucas has shone through! What did you guys think? If you could please let me know that would be great :) Hope to see you soon! (about 3.5 chapters left to write…I can do this, I can do this, I can do this…)**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: Being on break definitely helped my writing process! Once I get another chapter written, I'll have a bit of a cushion. Hopefully that will mean I'll be updating a bit more regularly, but it all depends on finding motivation amongst college work. Anyway, enjoy!**_

Maya couldn't help but shake her head as she looked in to Riley's bedroom from the bay window. Her best friend still donned her pajamas while sitting up in bed, Riley's hair still a tangled mess since the previous night, looking dejected despite the time approaching noon. With a frustrated sigh, Maya opened the window and climbed inside. "Let me guess," she said as she plopped down on the cushions of the window seat, "you haven't moved from that spot all weekend."

Riley shifted her gaze from the wall across her room, to Maya, and then back down to her hands. "Barely," she admitted as her hands started fidgeting. She couldn't help but think back to the other night when Lucas' anger took over. It was hard to think about what could have happened had he not shown up in time, but adding that factor into it just made it worse.

After blowing her bangs out of her face, Maya stood up and made her way over to the bed. She sat down right next to Riley, causing her best friend to shift over a bit to give her enough room so she wouldn't fall off the bed. "What's going on, Riles."

Riley bit her lip and started to pick at the hem of her pajama pants, still refusing to make any sort of eye contact with her best friend. "There's nothing going on. Everything is fine."

"I've known you way too long to buy that," Maya commented, looking over her best friend's appearance for the second time. "You've closed up so tightly these past couple of days. And from what I can tell, you haven't been talking to the cowboy, either. Everything was fine when everyone left the arena after the rodeo, and then when you two arrived at the restaurant to celebrate, you were acting rather chilly towards him. Now, with the way you've been acting, it leads me to believe that something happened between you and him in the ten or fifteen minutes between leaving the arena and arriving at the restaurant. I admit, it's not a long period of time, but apparently it was enough. C'mon, Riles. You can't keep this locked up forever. You can tell me anything."

"I know," Riley responded. "And you're partly right… something did happen, but it wasn't between Lucas and me per say. There was something that he did that caught me rather off guard."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "You're losing me, what actually happened?"

Riley let out a sigh as she turned herself to face Maya. "When Lucas went inside to get ready for dinner, I stayed outside by his truck. Considering it's January, it was a rather nice night."

"And you being you, you wanted to stay outside and enjoy it," Maya chimed in.

She nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, I don't know how long I was outside, I wasn't keeping time, but I heard someone approaching me from behind. At first I thought it was Lucas, but when I felt someone grab my wrist and start dragging me around the corner of the building I realized I was dead wrong. Once I was thrown up against the wall, I saw who it was… James."

"What?!" Maya practically yelled. "How did he find you?!"

Riley shook her head as she continued. "I think he's been following me, since he made a comment about Lucas being bad for me or something like that, and then he tried to say that he was supposed to be the one for me. He kept trying to get it through my head that I was the one that hurt him and that he wanted me back and all that crap. Honestly, I couldn't believe what he was saying. So I told him that he was the one that broke my heart, and if there was anyone that broke his heart that it was his own doing. I told him that we were over, and he needed to get it through his head. Before I knew it, he had me pinned up against the wall in such a way that I couldn't move, and he growled and said that I was going to get what I had coming to me," she explained, but the last part made her voice crack as she tried to prevent the tears from spilling over.

"That delusional son of a –"

"Maya!"

"You can't deny that he isn't!"

"I know, I know he's delusional," Riley agreed. "I'm just grateful that Lucas showed up when he did… else, who knows what would have happened."

Maya nodded, but was still confused. "Okay, but why are you so chilly towards Sundance?"

"Because," Riley continued, "when he threw James off of me and onto the wall, what I saw terrified me. I didn't see the Lucas I have grown to care for. Who I saw was a seething, angry man who was waiting to leap out at someone once he had the chance. All that was behind his eyes was hatred and loathing towards the man that he had pinned up against the wall. I guess that it's good the anger faded once I managed to say something to him, but still. I don't get why he reached that point! Just the way he behaved makes me think this isn't the first time it's happened, either."

Maya nodded again, this time biting her lip as the puzzle pieces formed in her mind. "Yeah… I, uh, may know something about that."

Riley let out her breath as she ran a hand through her hair. "Maya… what did you do?"

"I may or may not have done some research on him when you got back from that trip a few months ago. I came across something that I saw as rather strange, but I didn't understand why. Now, I think I know the answer."

"Maya, why didn't you tell me you did this? Why didn't you tell me there was some sort of possibility of something happening further down the road?"

She held her hands up in defense. "Hey, it was either do research on him or become you to get to know him," she half-heartedly teased. "But in all seriousness, I felt that he would tell you the reason why when the time came. Was it a potential red flag? Yes. But right now, I don't think it needs to be one. Go talk to him, Riles. He's the only one that can tell you what happened."

"Do you think he even wants to talk to me?" Riley asked.

Maya nodded. "Yeah. Considering he's been messaging me the past two days on whether or not you're alright. I think he just wants to explain what happened," she explained. "Now, go get ready, I'll text him to let him know you'll be there in about an hour."

"Okay. Thanks, Maya."

"Anytime."

 _ **A/N: Okay… I had to poke fun at the triangle. It was too beautiful an opportunity to pass up. Anyway, I hope this chapter helped to clear some of the confusion/ anger that happened last chapter. Hope to see you all again soon, lovelies!**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: And now for what you've been patiently waiting for!**_

Riley's hands were shaking as she approached Lucas' apartment. He knew she was coming, but her stomach was still a ball of nerves thanks to the upcoming conversation they were going to have. She was desperately hoping that it wouldn't change the way she thought about him. Riley wasn't sure how she would be able to take it if it did. _Maybe that is why I was hesitant in talking to him,_ she thought as she hesitated in front of the door. She shook her head and lightly knocked on Lucas' apartment door. Riley couldn't help but feel ridiculous over the whole thing and how she reacted, but thanks to this whole ordeal she realized that she couldn't take surprises or secrets like that anymore. James made sure of that.

It wasn't long before the door opened to reveal Lucas, concern etched over his face. As she studied him, it appeared that he was as anxious about the upcoming conversation as Riley was. She also couldn't help but notice the dark circles that had formed under his eyes. "Hey," he greeted quietly.

Riley bit her lip and ran a nervous hand through her hair. Just seeing him made her stomach tighten all the more. Although, she wasn't going to let that get in the way of finding out. Not anymore. "Hi."

Without hesitation, Lucas stepped aside, allowing Riley enough room to come inside. Once through the door, Lucas shut it behind her and rubbed the back of his neck – something Riley noticed he did whenever he was uneasy over something. "Please, sit down," he offered. Riley nodded in agreement, picking the armchair instead of the loveseat they usually shared. Honestly, Lucas couldn't really blame her. He respected her space and took his place on the small couch, rested his elbows on his knees, and let out a sigh. This conversation was put on hold long enough, so Lucas jumped right in.

"Look, Riley… I'm not really sure where to begin, except with I'm sorry. I'm sorry I put you through all of this, I'm sorry that I neglected to tell you about my certain anger issues, and I'm sorry that you saw that the other night. It was wrong of me to not tell you, and to let you find out the hard way. What you saw that night is something that I am not proud of. Back when I was younger, I didn't really care about the rules at all, and I found myself getting into more than a few scuffles. I would let my anger blind me. Academic probation, suspension… it's all on my record. It wasn't until the beginning of high school that I realized I had to change, and I don't like how I found that out, either. I was always one for protecting my friends, even if it resorted to physical means.

"One day, Zay managed to get himself into trouble. He always did, but somehow this time was worse than anything he had done before. All I knew was that I had to get him out of it… the next thing I knew, the other guy was on the asphalt – one of his eyes swollen shut, more than a fair share of broken ribs, a huge gash on his forehead, and he was out. Just seeing him lying there, not moving made my heart sink. For a split second, I thought I may have killed him, or I could have if I kept going. And in that moment I knew that I had to change.

"Eventually, I switched school districts. It wasn't far enough away so Zay and I were still pretty close, but it was far enough where I could get a fresh start. I went to see someone for my anger issues, and it definitely helped. Being a part of the rodeo also helped me by focusing my attention on something else and letting out any anger on my ride or my workouts. But let me tell you, Riley. Ever since you kept walking into my life, I wanted to better myself for you. I felt that I had to _earn_ your respect and your love, and that wouldn't have happened if my anger kept coming out. You helped me become the person you see right now… I'm not proud of what happened the other night. Once I saw him pinning you up against the wall that way… I just couldn't hold it back anymore," he finished explaining, trying to keep his own tears at bay. As he looked up to face Riley, he blinked away the tears and continued, "I'm sorry, Riley, I really am. And I wouldn't blame you for wanting to leave right now."

As Riley wiped away her own tears, she stood up and made her way over next to Lucas, and took ahold of one of his hands. "I'm glad you told me why. Do I wish you had told me sooner? Yes. However, we live and learn. I am so proud that you have learned from your past mistakes and want to change for the better."

"You have no idea," Lucas muttered as he melted into Riley's arms. "If I could change anything about my life, it would be that. When I saw how you reacted, I just wished I could go back in time and change myself into the man you deserved from the beginning."

A small laugh escaped Riley's lips as she brushed away a tear that fell down Lucas' cheek. "While it may not seem like it, the person you were helped turn you into the person you are today. And that is the person I have grown to know and love. Don't take that away from me."

Lucas gently squeezed her hand and placed a kiss on the back of her palm. "I won't. I promise to try and better myself for you. I'll try not to let it escape like that anymore."

Riley kissed the top of his head. "I know you will, and I love you for it."

 _ **A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Wow, it's hard to believe we're approaching the final arc of this story. Are you ready? If you could let me know what you thought of it before you leave, that would be very much appreciated :) See you soon!**_


	22. Chapter 22

Riley looked out over the arena in awe. She knew that the semifinals were a big event, but the stadium was _huge._ It reminded her of going to the Knicks games with her father when she was younger. Luckily for her, she wasn't in the nosebleed seats. Thanks to RJ and Dani, she was able to sit pretty close to the ring itself.

As the minutes ticked closer to the start of the semifinals, Riley squirmed in her seat in between Dani and Kris, with Junior sitting on the other side of his wife. She was glad she had them with her. Unfortunately, Maya wasn't able to come - they came out the night before and her boss needed her for a large project the company was working on. Luckily for Riley, her boss allowed her to take the couple days off. In fact, Riley offered to turn the trip into an article for the website, but her boss refused. She had been working hard enough lately, and he thought that she deserved a break.

Riley felt someone's hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly, startled that she had zoned out. She turned her head to see Dani giving her a concerned look.

"Are you okay? Feeling a bit if the pressure yourself?" she asked.

Riley nodded as she wrung her hands. "Yeah, I guess I am. It's strange; I've seen him ride before. I just don't get why I'm so uptight right now."

"Don't worry about it, Riley," Kris chimed in. "You want him to do well, especially now. It's not just you feeling it."

Junior nodded in an agreement. "Do you realize how many times I saw these two squirm whenever RJ or I would be getting ready for a ride? It just shows that you care."

"Really?"

"Really," the three friends replied in unison, just as the announcer came over the loud speakers.

"Ladies and gentleman, please help me welcome all of our bull riding semifinalists!"

The crowd continued to cheer and applaud as the announcer rattled down the list of riders and explained the ordering if events. Riley's stomach calmed as she heard Zay's and Lucas' names be announced. They were both earlier on in the segment which was a big relief for her.

 _No waiting forever! Thank goodness!_

OoOoO

After about a half hour, Zay finally entered the chute. Seeing the bull rattle its metal walls made Riley chew her bottom lip out of nervousness. After another few seconds pass, she saw Zay nod his head and the chute opened. Immediately, the bull started bucking harder than Riley had ever seen. Zay did his best to stay on, but after a little over five seconds he fell, and then time seemed to slow as his body headed towards the ground and the bull's hooves moved towards him.

Riley's heart leapt up into her throat as Zay scrambled away and dashed out of the ring, thankfully unscathed. _That was too close of a call!_

Her hands fled up to her face as she gently rocked herself back and forth in her chair. She honesty doubted that she could watch Lucas ride after that close call, but once his name was called, she found herself lowering her hands to watch.

* * *

Lucas continued to swing his arms in front of him and shook his head quickly as he waited by the chute. No matter what he did, he couldn't get this little buzzing feeling out of the back of his mind. It didn't help he didn't know what was causing it – all he knew is that it was distracting him. It could have been because he was on a stage much larger than he ever rode on before – the louder rush of the crowd, the number of camera flashes popping throughout the arena. It could even be because he had made it to the semi-finals, something he had only dreamed of reaching.

He covered his face with his hands, took in a steady breath, and released it slowly. While he hadn't planned it, the scent of his worn, dust covered leather gloves seemed to help a little. Not much, but it was still something. He was hoping it would be enough.

Slowly, Lucas climbed up into the chute and onto the bull's back, just as he had done nearly a thousand times before. He wrapped the rope around his glove securely and gave it a few test tugs, making sure everything was okay. Lucas closed his eyes as he tried to focus on the task in front of him, but the buzz in his mind kept on growing louder and louder. Once again, he let out a calming breath, squeezed his eyelids tighter, and nodded.

The jolt of the chute opening sent a shiver down Lucas' spine as the bull surged forward. It was rather strange for Lucas – once the bull had cleared the chute, it was as if all time slowed to a near stop. The crowd's pitched lowered, and every movement was a blur.

And that's when it happened.

The bull he was riding made a sudden movement – one that Lucas was not prepared for and couldn't compensate at all. His body flipped over to the side; however, his feet didn't reach the ground. Lucas' hand was still trapped in the rope. Before he could try and slip his hand out, the bull made another sudden movement, making his shoulder crack. At first, his shoulder felt numb, but it wasn't long before the wave of pain registered in his brain, resulting in an agonizing scream filling the arena as he fell to the ground.

* * *

"LUCAS!" Riley screamed as she shot up from her seat. Dani, Kris, and Junior followed her action once they saw him fall.

Once the rodeo clowns had managed to get the bull out of the arena, the EMTs rushed over to the fallen cowboy's side. Seeing him lying in the dirt, yelling in pain, did not help Riley at all. She grabbed her bag and ran down towards the arena, the rest of the group following her and trying to call out to her. However, she didn't hear them. All she wanted to do was get to Lucas.

As they were loading Lucas into the ambulance, Riley tried to make a mad dash towards him, leaving her older friends in the dust. But RJ stepped out in front of her and caught her before she could reach him.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Riley shouted as she tried to wriggle free.

RJ fixed his hold on her so she couldn't get away and shook his head. "Riley, I need you to listen to me. Riley… Riley! I need you to listen to me; can you do that for me?"

Gradually, Riley began to calm down, which allowed for RJ to talk. "You can't see him right now, but I know which hospital they're taking him to. We can go there right now," he soothed as he gave her a warm embrace. He looked up to see a concerned Dani, Junior, and Kris standing a few feet away. "We all can."

Riley nodded. "Wh-what about Zay?" she whispered.

"He had to stay here for now. If the competition ends while we're still there he'll head over."

Shakily, Riley nodded again as Dani collected her in her arms, and the group headed over to their cars.

OoOoO

After several hours of waiting, long enough for Zay to meet them in the waiting room,they finally received some news.

"Mr. Friar was very lucky," Dr. Westland told them as he pushed his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose. "He tore a ligament in his shoulder, but it does not require surgery," he said, sending a huge wave of relief through the group. "All he will need will be some rest to give the ligament a chance to heal."

"Can we see him?" Riley asked.

Dr. Westland nodded. "I don't see why not, but please keep it brief."

Everyone nodded, and they headed towards Lucas' room - allowing Riley to see him first.

Slowly, Riley opened the door and saw him looking out the window. Once the door closed behind her, Lucas turned and faced her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Lucas shrugged his uninjured shoulder as she approached his bed. "Alright, I guess. I'm alive," he joked.

"Are you bummed that you won't be able to make it to the finals now? I know it would be after working so hard to get there for so long."

Lucas bobbed his head back and forth. "Yeah, a bit. But this could be a blessing in disguise. Now I get to see you a bit more."

Riley lightly chuckled as she took ahold of his hand. "True, but it must be hard for you. You've wanted this for how long?"

"I'm not going to let this set me back, Riley. I've gotten farther than I ever have before, and that's a huge accomplishment. There's always next year, too, ya know."

 _ **A/N: If you could please, please, please leave me a review to let me know what you liked/ didn't like/ what needs improving before you head out it would be very much appreciated. Even if it's just one word! I would really appreciate any feedback. Also, I only have one chapter left to write plus an epilogue. Do you have a general idea of what you'd like to see in the epilogue? I have a brief idea, but I'd like to see what you think. Thank you and see you soon!**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N: My bad, I meant to update yesterday! But alas the excitement of coming home for Thanksgiving break got to me. I'm planning on writing the final chapter before the epilogue today, so if I get that done I'm hoping that there may be another update within the next couple of days.**_

Lucas was sitting at a table in one of Riley's favorite restaurants and kept glancing down at his watch. At the moment, he was waiting for her to get there, and while she was only a couple minutes late, he still couldn't help but worry a little. Usually he would pick her up, but something had kept her at work and she said she would meet him there.

After glancing at his watch yet again, he heard a sultry voice from behind him. "Luke?"

Lucas immediately shut his eyes as he recognized the voice. _Of all the places in the world, I run into here – why is she even here anyway?! The last place I saw her was back in Houston._ He turned to face where the voice was coming from, and sure enough, Missy Bradford was rushing towards him in all of her glory, if one could call it that.

She approached his table and brought the empty chair nearer to him as she sat down. "Oh my goodness, Luke! It's been far too long!" she squealed as she leaned in closer to him.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes. _Not nearly long enough, if you ask me,_ he thought as he tried to scoot his chair away from her. "So, what are you doing here? March isn't exactly a time you would expect tourists."

An annoying giggle escaped her lips as she tightened her grip on her white fur stole. "If anything I should be asking _you_ that! I grew up in this area and I'm currently visiting family. Well, I should say I was going out on a date tonight, and it looks like I got stood up – looks like you did too," she explained as her leg slid closer to Lucas'.

Lucas felt her leg brush up against his, to which he quickly batted it away and slid even further away. "You would be wrong in that, Missy. I'm waiting for my girlfriend to arrive – she had to work late tonight," he explained. _Can't she take a hint?!_ he wondered.

Missy stuck her nose in the air slightly as she placed her head on her hand and leaned in closer to him, ignoring his silent pleas for her to back off. "Hmm, well she's a fool to keep you waiting."

"You would be wrong in saying that," he returned as a small smile came over his lips as he thought of her. But that smile soon disappeared as he saw movement approach the table, and that movement was Riley. Her eyes were wide and tears glistened them as she looked at the two of them. She tried to walk away from the scene, but only managed to get a few feet away from the table before Lucas got up and jumped in front of her. "Riley, it's not what you think," he tried to explain as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Let me explain."

Riley looked into his eyes for the first time that night as tears started to fall. Lucas had never seen her look like this at all, and it pained his heart that he may have done something to cause this. "Lucas I-I…" she stuttered. "I-I can't do this!" she finally managed to get out.

Deep concern filled Lucas' being, not sure where Riley was going. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I-I… I just can't do this anymore," she said as she tried to control her sobs. "I'm sorry," she finished before she bolted out the door.

"Riley, wait!" Lucas shouted as he tried to follow her out the door, but once he was outside, Riley was nowhere to be seen. As he stood on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, their whole relationship played like a tape in his mind. _Where did I go wrong? Was it because of Missy? Or was it something else?_

Lucas pulled his phone out of his pocket and tried calling her, but she refused to pick up. Once he got her voicemail, he had to resist the urge to throw his phone down the street. "Come on, Riley. Why?"

For the first time in his life, he was thrown off before he could grasp what was happening. Only this time it wasn't a bull.

OoOoO

Not for the first time since she had broken it off with him, Riley was curled up in the corner of her room crying. She shook her head as the tears showered her face. There were certain times that she felt that she was so pathetic, especially since there were certain times that she couldn't get herself to stop crying. No matter what she did, she couldn't get herself to stop, and it was rather annoying to say the least – trying to reduce the puffiness of her eyes had become almost a daily occurrence. She wished it would just stop, and the only time that actually happened was when she was distracted. Riley didn't cry this much when she ended it between her and James, so why was she this upset now? Lucas was only some guy… a guy that stole her heart.

He had tried calling her several times that month, but each time she sent his calls to voicemail and deleted the messages without hearing them. She just couldn't take talking to him right now.

She wiped her eyes for probably the hundredth time, causing them to burn slightly. Riley didn't know how long she had been where she was, but the sound of her window being slid open reached her ears, and Maya came into her line of sight. The blonde sat beside her, wrapped her arms around her own knees, and sighed.

"Come on, Riles. I get what you're going through is hard," she started, "but you can't stop living because of this, okay?"

Riley closed her eyes as another tear fell. "I haven't stopped living, Maya."

Maya turned her head and gave her best friend a stern look; despite the fact Riley wasn't facing her. "I wouldn't call going to work and then coming home for dinner living. We used to have so much fun on weekends," she continued as she spread her hands, "why don't we do something tomorrow? Like a movie night? We don't even have to go anywhere; we could just stay here in your room like we used to in middle school. It'll be fun, what do you say?"

Riley shrugged her shoulders as she wiped her nose with a wadded up tissue. "I don't know…" she trailed.

Maya let out a sigh, hoping that Riley couldn't detect how frustrated she was. She couldn't take it anymore. Riley wasn't making this easy for her, and she had a suspicion as to why – she was still deeply in love with Lucas. She may not want to admit that, but it was the truth. "I don't know how I can help you with this one, Riles," Maya said. This time around wasn't like James at all – Lucas was a great guy, and to be honest, Maya wasn't entirely sure on why Riley had ended the relationship. She figured Riley would tell her the reason when she was ready, but at this rate she would never know.

Again, Riley shrugged. "Can you just be here with me for a while?"

Maya nodded as she quickly glanced at her phone to look at the time. "Of course I will."

A small sad smile spread over Riley's lips as she placed her head on Maya's shoulder. After a couple of hours of silence, Riley let out a sigh. "Maya, please don't take this the wrong way, but do you mind if I spend some time alone? It's not that I don't appreciate you being here for me every day, it's just…"

Maya nodded in understanding. "I know, you just need some time to yourself. I'll be back in a while to check on you, is that okay?" As soon as Riley nodded, Maya headed out the window and down her usual route. Once she was down the fire escape, Maya stalked down the sidewalk towards Lucas' apartment.

 _ **A/N: It was my full intent to break this up into two chapters, but I didn't have enough of either to do that. Anyway, please don't hate me! Don't forget to review before you leave :) Hope to see you in a couple days!**_


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N: So sorry I wasn't able to get an early update out for you. I got about 100 words in before writer's block got ahold of me. Hoping to work on it soon when I find some time amongst two papers and an exam. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me tell you, it was fun to write!**_

Maya stalked down the sidewalk, nearly knocking into several dozen people in the process. Quite frankly, she didn't care – all she had was one thing on her mind, and she wasn't going to let anything or anyone get in her way. This whole thing was ridiculous, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

The sky opened up and the rain started pouring down mere moments before she stepped through the apartment complex's door. Not caring about the water streaming down her nose or her matted down hair, Maya quickly made her way up the stairs and burst through the door to Lucas' floor, causing a loud bang as the door hit the wall behind it. Lengthening her stride, Maya headed down the hallway and rounded the corner. Once she reached his apartment, Maya balled her fist and started pounding on the door.

At first, there was no response, so Maya started pounding on the door again. It never occurred to her that there was a slight possibility that he wasn't home, and her efforts were all for naught.

After a couple of moments, she finally heard his voice coming from inside. "Okay, okay! I'm coming!" his voice shouted. "Sheesh can't you…" Lucas trailed as he opened the door and his eyes met cold blue ones. Needless to say, he was quite shocked to see Maya standing in front of him, soaked to the skin.

Without waiting for him to invite her in, Maya stepped by the shocked man and turned to face him.

"I can only imagine why you're here," Lucas said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

A sly smile came over Maya's lips as she responded, matching his tone, "Hmm, I'm sure."

Lucas rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Why are you here?" he asked, and then paused as he eyed the soaked blonde. "Do you need a towel?"

"No," Maya replied nonchalantly as her eyes scanned the apartment. Laundry was scattered throughout the apartment, and there was a stack of dishes a mile high in the sink that needed some serious washing. Even the coffee table had wrappers strewn about on it – which was so unlike Lucas. His apartment was usually spotless. "Taking a break from cleaning, I see," she commented.

"That doesn't tell me why you're here," Lucas spat.

"Eh, the two may be related actually…" Maya trailed as she turned back to face him. "Look, all I know is that both you and Riley haven't been acting like your typical selves since she broke it off. I get that being upset about it is typical, but not for this long. She won't even tell me the reason why it happened. All I know is that all of this has to be resolved."

Lucas nodded as he sat on the arm of his chair. "I agree, but I don't even know the reason why, either!"

"What happened that night?"

"I was waiting for her at a restaurant when someone Zay set me up with years ago saw me and made it very clear she wanted to try and rekindle things between us – despite the fact that there was never anything between us to begin with. I tried to make it clear to her that I wasn't interested and that I was waiting for someone. She didn't care. Next thing I knew, Riley was there and she dashed out of the place. I caught up with her and then she said she couldn't do this anymore."

"Did you ask her why?"

Lucas nodded as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "I told her it wasn't what it seemed, but she still broke it off."

"You idiot!" Maya shouted. Now that she knew what happened, she had a sneaking suspicion of what the reason was; however, everything was based on speculation.

"What?" Lucas shouted back as he shot up, meeting Maya's gaze. "How am I an idiot when I've been trying my best to find out for the past month?"

Maya shook her head. "Did you ever think to ask me? While I didn't know why she broke up with you, I still would have been able to tell you how she's doing instead of you wondering here in your trashed apartment. Heck, if you told me what happened I may have been able to do something a lot sooner," she spat.

"How was I supposed to know you'd give me that kind of information? Girls like you and Riley tend to stick together on everything! If one breaks off contact then so does the other."

"Who helped you two through that cold patch?"

Lucas let out a heated breath. "You did… but these are two different situations."

"They are in all but one way."

"And what way is that?"

"Because she still loves you!" she blurted. "She loved you then and she still loves you now! All I want for Riles is for her to be happy, and the happiest I've _ever_ seen her is when she's with you, and you clearly still love her. Do you really think I'd sabotage that?!"

Lucas averted his gaze downward as he shook his head. After a long silence, Lucas asked, "How do we go about fixing this?"

Maya shrugged her shoulders as she ran a hand through her hair, grimacing as her fingers caught hold of a few tangles. "I don't know – right now she won't tell me what happened, but now that I have a good guess as to why this all happened, maybe I can come up with a plan."

"Why do you think she did this?"

She shook her head. "Can't say."

"Why?"

"Because what I've come up with is just speculation. That and wouldn't it be better to hear it coming from Riley?"

He nodded in response, allowing her to continue. "As soon as I think of something I'll let you know," she finished as she headed for the door.

"Hey Maya," Lucas called out just as she opened the door.

"What?" she asked, a hint of playful disgust in her voice.

"Thanks."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't get all sentimental on me, Huckleberry…" she trailed as she closed the door behind her.

Once the door latched, Lucas allowed himself to truly smile for the first time in a month.

* * *

As soon as Maya left the apartment, she turned down the street towards the Matthews' place. She was hoping that Riley would be more up to having her around. There were times that Riley did a good job at worrying her, and this whole situation was one of them. She retreated too far into herself, something Maya had never seen before. Sure, there were times where it took her a while to open up, like the bully in middle school, but it was never this long.

Maya shook her head as she climbed up the fire escape. Once she reached Riley's level, she crawled through the bay window, expecting to meet her best friend's gaze.

But she wasn't anywhere in her room. It was empty. Maya raised an eyebrow as a small piece of paper in Riley's spot caught her attention. She opened the folded piece of paper and read what was scrolled onto it:

 _Maya, Had to get out of my room for a bit. I'll text you later_

 _~Riles_

Maya shook her head as she folded the paper in half. _Please Riles… don't do anything stupid._

 _ **A/N: Until next time lovelies! If you could please leave me a review with what you thought of the chapter or what you think is going to happen, it would be very much appreciated :)**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N: Last week of classes for me this week! Because of this, I highly doubt I will be able to update at any point next week seeing how I have finals to study for. I will**_ **try** _ **to update the week after next if all goes well and if I can get some writing in.**_

After knocking back her fourth shot of Jack within the span of about thirty minutes, Riley dropped the shot glass on the bar and rested her head in her hand. Riley knew that break ups were hard, but she would have thought that after a month she wouldn't be feeling this much pain. She didn't feel as if her heart had shattered into a million pieces a few weeks after she broke things off with James, so why was Lucas so hard to get over? It truly felt as if her heart was torn into small bits; as if a dog had chewed it up and spat it back out. Riley ordered another round and quickly threw that one back, allowing the alcohol to slowly burn in her throat as it made its way down. She was hoping that having a few would help ease the pain, to help her forget about him, or at least numb it for a while. Overall, she knew that this wasn't the way to get through the pain; however, she wasn't looking for a permanent solution to her problem. Only a temporary one. But right now, she had no such luck. The pain was still as present as it was before. Riley shook her head as she spun one of the glasses on the bar. She did not understand how people could do this all the time and yet not feel anything. As much as she wanted to order another, Riley thought it would be best if she didn't. The last time she drank like this was a few years ago, and if memory recalled, she wasn't the best when it came to holding her liquor (but wasn't exactly the worst – that went to Farkle). That, and she still needed to get home somehow. _Maybe I can call Maya… or does she have her exhibit to work on? Was that last weekend or this weekend? Or was I supposed to text her at some point tonight?_ Riley inwardly groaned at her muddled thoughts as she tried to figure out what went where. She could barely think straight and she was alone. _Seemed like a good idea at the time…_ her mind echoed.

It wasn't long after she tried sorting through her mind that she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She glanced over to see a dark haired boy, probably a couple years younger than she was, and he was leaning far too close to her for her own comfort. As much as she wanted to yell at him to back off, Riley couldn't manage to get the words out.

"Hi there," the guy purred. "You're much too fine a lady to be sitting here all by yourself. How about a dance with one of the best looking guys here? Then maybe I could buy you a drink?"

Riley couldn't help but roll her eyes. _Is this guy for real?_ "No… no, no thank you. I don't feel much up to dancing right now," she replied politely, hoping that he would go away and leave her alone.

However, she wasn't that lucky. The guy placed his hand on hers and began to brush his hand slowly up her arm. "Oh come on, now. You'll have a great time."

She shook her head as she limply pushed his hand away. "No thank you."

He grabbed ahold of her hand. "You'll enjoy yourself! Stop playing hard to get, baby. Live a little!"

"Would you just leave me alone?!" Riley practically shouted as she tried to get him to let go of her, hoping to get someone's attention nearby, but with her luck, they were all probably too drunk to help out – just like she was. She mentally cursed herself as she continued her struggle – she shouldn't have let herself get this carried away while she was in a bar _alone._ But then again, there are some guys who just don't understand the meaning of 'no', no matter how sober they were. Right now, she was thinking it was a bit of both, and there was nothing she could do to get him away.

The guy opened his mouth to say something, but someone had taken him by his shoulder and nearly thrown him up against the bar, catching him off guard which caused him to lose his grasp on Riley's hand. Once she was free, Riley quickly stepped out of arm's reach while trying not to trip over her barstool, forever grateful at whoever had just separated them.

"Hey," the newcomer growled. "She said no."

As Riley's heartrate slowed, something clicked in her mind. _I know that voice…_ her thought trailed as she looked up to see who her rescuer was. To her surprise, it was the last person she wanted to see at this moment – Lucas. His emerald eyes were burning, and the rest of his body was tense with anger. The last time she had seen him like this was when James had cornered her; however, right now he wasn't nearly as tense as last time. Although she didn't exactly want to see him right now, she was glad that he was there at the moment.

Her focus shifted to the guy he had pinned up against the bar. He too, was ticked off that Lucas had interrupted him. "Just who do you think you are?!" he shouted in Lucas' face just before he balled his fist and aimed right for Lucas' face.

Riley cringed, ready to hear the fist come into contact with Lucas' jaw, but instead, Lucas caught the punch with his hand and rolled his eyes as if he had seen it coming from a mile away, grabbed the guy's wrist, twisted his arm which caused the attacker to spin around, and Lucas pinned him yet again to the bar with the arm in an arm lock. A small yelp escaped from the guy's lips as Lucas continued to put pressure on his arm.

"You want to know who I am?" Lucas growled in his ear, causing Riley's eyes to widen. "Someone who you shouldn't try and piss off. That young lady over there you were bothering? She's my girlfriend. Now, I suggest you leave before you're in over your head – because in the end, you're going to be the one on the floor, and I'm going to be the one that walks away. You got that?"

Once Lucas released the guy's arm, he gave Lucas one final glare before he left the bar, rubbing his sore arm. Lucas shook his head as he sat down next to Riley and eyed the five shot glasses next to her. "You've been busy," he commented as he clasped his hands on the bar.

Riley ignored his comment as she rubbed her head. "Not that I'm not grateful for you helping me, but why did you lie?" she slurred.

Lucas raised an eyebrow as he thought back to the previous events. "I don't recall saying anything untrue."

With a groan and an annoyed eye roll, she explained herself. "You said 'she's my girlfriend' – newsflash! I'm not your girlfriend anymore, remember?" Riley spat.

"I said 'she's', which could mean 'she is' or 'she was', most people see it as the former, especially in that type of situation; however, I used it as the latter and he didn't ask for clarification. One would think with you being the journalist, you would have known that," he reasoned.

Riley rolled her eyes. _Just what I need right now, a grammar nazi. I can barely think straight enough as it is, and the last thing I need right now is this._ "How did you find me?" she asked, somewhat changing the topic.

"I came in here to get a drink to help clear my head, then try and find you to try and talk to you face to face since you won't return any of my calls. Turns out I found you first," he said as he shifted to face her and leaned his elbow on the bar. At first, he wanted to mention Maya coming to 'talk' to him, but he thought it was ill advised. She was mad enough at him; he didn't want her to get mad at Maya, too.

"Lucky me, then," she deadpanned as she rubbed her temples.

"So, why are you here?"

Riley set her head down on the bar. "Trying to erase my pain and forget there's such things as emotions. Needless to say, it's not working."

Lucas shook his head as he pushed the shot glasses towards the opposite edge of the bar. "I can definitely tell you this is not the way to do that," he spoke as he gently took ahold of her arm and began to lead her out of the bar.

"What are you doing?" Riley tried to demand, but her demand came out as a mere mutter. She saw Lucas' lips move, but she couldn't make out anything he was saying as her eyelids slowly began to close.

Once they were out of the bar, Lucas looked over at Riley and noticed that her eyes were closed. He shook his head lightly as he led her over to his truck, gently put her in the passenger side, texted Maya to say that he was with Riley, and headed towards home.

 _ **A/N: Hope you liked it. See you in a couple weeks!**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N: It's now been over a year since I posted the first chapter of this story. Dang, time goes by so fast! Thank you to all who have been with me from the beginning and those who helped encourage me to keep working on this fic. Never did I think I'd be working on a story for over a year.**_

 _ **I don't know why, but this is among my favorite chapters in this story that doesn't revolve around Riley and Lucas. I really hope you guys enjoy it.**_

Maya was awoken from her slumber thanks to a loud pounding on her door. She let out an agonized groan as she rolled over to look at her clock on her nightstand. _Two in the morning… who the heck is pounding on my door at two in the morning?! Whoever it is_ must _have a death wish._ She wasn't expecting anyone, let alone at this hour. Maya was very tempted to ignore whoever was at the door in hopes that they would go away, but the pounding came more frequent and a lot harder. If they kept this up there would be complaints from her neighbors.

"I'm coming!" she shouted as she pushed back the covers and slipped out of bed. She grabbed her lavender robe off of the edge of her chair as she walked by and wrapped it around herself as she made her way to the door. Maya placed her hand on the lock and looked through the peep hole to see who it was. Once she saw who it was, she took a step back away from the door, and she was not sure if she could believe what she just saw. After all, she had just woken up not two minutes ago. Biting her lip, Maya unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door. Sure enough, her eyes hadn't deceived her, and the person she had saw through the peep hole was now standing right in front of her.

"You never call, you never write," she said in a half joking, half serious tone. Maya wasn't sure if she meant it as a joke or not, heck she didn't even mean to say anything, but once her eyes set upon him, the pain came welling back up to the surface.

Farkle looked up and bit his lip. Whether or not he knew better than to address Maya's attempted joke she didn't know, but he ignored it and addressed her. "I came to give you an explanation as to why I ended things between us."

Maya crossed her arms as her blue eyes shot an icy look at him. "You couldn't have done that a year ago?" she asked in a harsh tone, probably a bit harsher than she intended, but what had happened was apparently still very painful to discuss. Even after all of this time.

She watched his shoulders droop slightly as he shifted his gaze downward. "…I deserved that," he admitted after a moment of silence between the two. "Can I come in?"

At first, Maya was very tempted to shut the door in his face, but nothing would be accomplished in doing so. The only way to get rid of this hurt was to address it head on, and Maya was known for not backing down from a difficult challenge. She finally stepped aside, allowing enough space for Farkle to enter, and she shut the door behind him.

As the two of them made their way over to the small living area, Maya asked, "Can I get you anything?"

Farkle shook his head as he sat down on the couch. "No, no thank you… I just wanted to come and explain things, and then I will be leaving if you desire it. I know how much you don't like things to be kept hidden."

Maya nodded as she sat down in the large plush armchair near the couch and pulled her robe a bit tighter. "I'm listening… but first, can you please tell me why you decided to come banging on my door at this hour in the morning? My sleep is very important to me."

"My plane just landed a half hour ago, and I needed to get this off my chest before I decide if I'm going to stay in New York again."

If _you're going to stay in New York again?_ Maya repeated in her mind. _Why if?_ But instead of asking directly, she allowed for him to continue. "I'm listening."

Farkle pinched the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb as he tried to gather his words and figure out where he wanted to start. "A couple of months before I ended our relationship, I had finally come to admit the fact that I needed to sort out what was going on in my life. I wasn't as happy working for my father as I thought I would be, and it was affecting my personal life big time. The kicker of it was I knew that a couple months after we graduated college."

"You worked for your father for around, what, two years even though you hated it?" Maya asked. To be honest, he didn't look like he was unsatisfied with his career path.

"I liked what I was doing, just not for my father; however, I didn't discover that until recently. And it took me that long to face up to the facts and tell him outright. Believe me; he was not happy with me at all. He had plans for me to inherit the company once he retired, even though that's decades away. However, I wanted to do my own thing, away from his shadow. And in order to do that, I had to quit my job and get away from him for a while. I had to get away from everything and break all ties from my father in order to focus –"

"And that included ending our relationship," Maya interrupted. She knew what Farkle's father was like. If he didn't get what he wanted in the business world, and sometimes in his own personal life, he could become very displeased. That much was evident whenever he was around Riley's mother.

Farkle finally nodded. "Unfortunately," he replied; his answer causing Maya to shift uneasily in her chair. "Believe me, Maya. I didn't want to end it between us, but I had to if I was going to figure things out, along with keeping my father away from you as well. I was just in a huge rut that I couldn't get out of if I stayed here. I know I came back every once in a while 'on business,' but those were visits to my father's establishment to assure him that what I was doing was the right thing. He was the one who wanted them. Despite these visits, he wasn't really reassured. He just thought what I was doing was a huge mistake and that I should stay. Who knows, the reason why he wanted them could have been to discourage me from doing what I wanted."

Maya shook her head. "Farkle, why didn't you tell me this? I could have helped! Remember who the screw up was for most of our time at John Quincy? Me."

"I know, I know…" he trailed, "but I was in a different type of rut, Maya. I needed to get away and find out who I was. It wasn't until a few months into my journey that I realized I left a huge part of me behind. Breaking up with you was originally to protect you and so I could focus more, but it was a huge mistake. That part I left behind was you. I wanted to come back sooner, but I knew how much I hurt you, and I wasn't sure how you would take my coming back while the pain was still rather fresh. That and I still had a lot to sort through on my own part."

As Maya soaked in everything that Farkle had said, she said, "To be honest, all I ever wanted was why. So, did you figure out what you want to do?"

He nodded. "Yeah, actually. I've started a cyber security firm. There's still a lot that needs to be done, but it's coming along. I mean, if I can't take over the world, might as well help protect it," he joked.

This joke made Maya chuckle softly. "I'm glad you have everything sorted out."

"As well am I," he replied. "Now that I've given you my reasoning, I should be going."

Farkle started to stand up to leave, but Maya quickly caught his arm to prevent him from moving any further. "Where are you staying for the night?" she asked.

He merely shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I came out here on a whim, so I didn't really make any plans."

Maya released his arm. "You can stay here on the couch. I'll go get you a pillow and some blankets," she replied as she started to walk over to the little closet that was next to her bedroom door.

"Are you sure?" Farkle asked.

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't," she replied as she grabbed the bedding and shut the closet door. "You're staying here and I don't want to hear another word about it."

A smirk spread over Farkle's lips. "Yes, ma'am."

Maya rolled her eyes as she set the bedding down on the arm of the couch. "Ugh, you sound like Ranger Rick!"

Farkle raised an eyebrow at the name. "Who?"

Maya waved her hand to dismiss the thought. "Never mind. I'll tell you about that in the morning… or should I say in a few hours."

"Thanks, Maya… for this."

She shook her head slightly. "Don't worry about it. One more thing, if you don't mind my asking… what did you mean _if_ you decided to stay in New York?"

Farkle sighed as he sat down on the couch again, and this time Maya sat beside him. "I'm not sure if coming back and staying in the city will be the best for me in the long run. My father is here, and while I can stand up for myself, facing him is a different story."

Maya pressed her lips into a thin line before she reached over and grabbed Farkle's hand and squeezed it gently. "What if I wanted you to stay?"

He returned the gesture and looked into her eyes. "Do you really mean that?" he asked; his voice filled with hope.

She nodded. "Yeah… even though you had ended things between us, I never stopped caring for you. There were times I thought that our break up was just a dream, only to wake up and realize that what I had thought of was the dream. I never got over you. I love you…" Maya confessed before she realized what she was saying. The sudden confession caused both of their eyes to widen, but Maya knew that she couldn't take back what she was feeling. "I'm in love with you. I have been and I think I always will be."

Farkle took ahold of her other hand as tears began to fill his eyes. Never did he think he would hear those words come from Maya's mouth; not even when they had been dating. "So… what does that make us now?"

"I'm not really sure," Maya responded. "Now that I know the reason behind why, it doesn't hurt as much – but it still hurts."

"I don't blame you, there," Farkle said.

A small smile crept over Maya's lips. "In time I think the pain will go away, so how about taking things slowly?"

Farkle nodded in agreement. "That sounds good with me."

"Okay… well, I better let you get some sleep then. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Goodnight, Maya," he replied as she started to get up from the couch and headed back into her room.

Once Maya had closed the door behind her, Farkle kicked off his shoes, spread out the blankets, and laid down. Despite the blankets, it was still a bit chilly in the apartment, making Farkle wonder how Maya was able to sleep at night. After releasing a calming breath, a small click reached his ears along with something soft, either a blanket or a piece of clothing, landed on his face. He lifted it up and found that it was a hoodie – one of his that he had given to Maya when they were dating, actually – and it had a post it note pinned to it.

 _So you don't freeze. P.S. – I want it back!_

Farkle smiled as he took of the small piece of paper and put the sweater on, which now smelled like Maya, and fell into the best night's sleep he had in a long time.

 _ **A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Please don't flame me if you don't like the pairing – I had this chapter written out long before Farkle and Smackle got together on the show. I like both pairings but this one fit with what I originally planned for this fic and I wasn't going to rewrite it. See you soon!**_


	27. Chapter 27

_**A/N: Merry (early) Christmas everyone! My Christmas gift to you: back to Riley and Lucas :)**_

Riley slowly awoke as the sunlight began to crawl up the bed. She let out a deep sigh as she rolled over onto her back and stretched, and then rolled back over to her side. As she was about to drift off again, something in her mind clicked. The sun was in the wrong spot for her to be in her room, the bed was far too large, and there weren't nearly enough pillows. Riley's eyes shot open as she sat up and looked around. Sure enough, she wasn't in her bedroom – but now she knew where she was. Lucas' bedroom in his apartment. Riley rubbed her head as some recollection of what happened the previous night came back to her, along with a pounding headache. She shook her head as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and wrapped her cardigan tighter around her small frame.

Slowly, she made her way out of the bedroom and quietly approached the kitchenette. Riley's eyes drifted over to the couch for a brief second and noticed the disheveled appearance of the bedding sitting on it. She shifted her focus back to the kitchen, and she saw Lucas standing at the stove cooking. As she quietly moved closer, the smell of eggs and bacon reached her nose. It wasn't long after she passed the coffee table that Lucas turned around and saw her. Once the two made eye contact, he gave her a soft smile. "Morning… I hope you're feeling alright. Made plenty of food for breakfast if you're hungry," he said as he began to plate up everything.

However, instead of answering his train of thought, Riley asked, "Why am I here? Do my parents know where I am?" She crossed her arms as her expression hardened.

Lucas nodded as he picked up the food plates and set them down on the table. "Yes, they do. I called your dad last night and gave him a brief summary of what I knew and let him know that you were with me."

"I'm sure he must have been _thrilled_ when you told him," she scoffed, knowing for sure that her father will give her an earful once she finally gets home. Riley first got a bit of a speech from him when she turned twenty-one a couple years ago. Mostly it was him telling her not to get carried away, and never let an emotional high get mixed with alcohol, to which he finished the lecture with his own experience of anger and alcohol. Sure enough, that was what she let happen last night. Her father wasn't going to be the only one disappointed in her – she was already disappointed in herself.

Lucas bobbed his head from side to side as he let out a sigh. She was right in that he wasn't exactly happy to hear what Riley had been up to, but he was happy that Lucas happened to stop by when he did. "He's happy you're safe."

Riley shook her head. "Why am I here?" she repeated. "Why not just take me home?"

He let out another sigh as he sat down on one of the dining room chairs. "I didn't tell you the whole truth last night…" Lucas began.

How he started out his response made Riley raise an eyebrow. "I take it this relates to my question somehow."

"It does," Lucas nodded. "The real reason why I went to the bar last night was because of the conversation I had a couple hours before with Maya."

The sound of her best friend's name sent a feeling of shock throughout her body. "Maya talked to you? About what?"

"Us." Riley bit her lip at his answer, but allowed him to continue. "She talked to me about us, and how neither of us have been ourselves since we broke up."

Riley rolled her eyes as she felt the numbing pain fill her heart once again. "Lucas, you know why we broke up!"

"Actually I don't," he retorted as he stood up and approached her. "You just up and left without telling me anything, and you refused to answer any of my calls when I tried to get some answers. For all I know, I could have done something wrong, and you won't tell me what that was. How is that supposed to help me in possible relationships down the road, Riley? Yes, once we're in a relationship, it means that we're either going to get married or break up at some point, but the point of a relationship is to make our lives better and be there for each other when times get rough. And because of that, we make each other better. If I did something to harm you and you won't tell me, how is that supposed to help me better myself so I don't make the same mistake? I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way. Just please tell me what I did so I won't do it again with anyone in my life."

Tears started to form in Riley's eyes as she listened to Lucas' words. Most of that night had become a blur, but she could remember what she saw when she first walked into the restaurant as clear as day. "I'm sorry I never told you… just when I saw you sitting there with Missy Bradford, my mind automatically connected what I saw with James and what he did."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You know Missy?"

"She was my high school nemesis... how do you know her?" Riley trailed.

"Noted, and Zay tried to fix me up with her once in Texas," Lucas replied before he continued. "Anyway, you couldn't really think that I would do what that creep did to you, could you?" he asked.

In shame, Riley hung her head. "I realize that now," she mumbled under her breath.

"Riley, I know that he cheated on you quite a few times, but you need to know that I would never do that to you, okay?"

She nodded, but she tearfully responded, "It's hard to when what I saw looked an awful like what happened when I broke off my engagement with him. Busty blonde and all. It's so hard not to apply what happened with him to everything now; it's like I expect disappointment now thanks to getting burned so many times. I realize that I never told you everything that happened with him, and for that I'm sorry. It was a mistake… a terrible mistake."

Lucas gently placed his hands on her shoulders and let out a sigh. "If it helps any, I was trying to get her to go away, but I should have tried harder. I should have known how you would have reacted upon seeing that."

Riley shook her head as she sank down and sat down on the couch. "No, don't put that all on you. This one is on me, I should have told you everything from the start, and I was the one who overreacted. You're a great guy, Lucas. How I could think you would stoop down to that level is beyond me. I'm so sorry…" she trailed. After a moment of silence between the two, Lucas sat down beside her as Riley covered her face with her hands. "I'm such an idiot," her muffled voice stated.

"No, you're not," he replied as he took ahold of her hands and brought them away from her beautiful face.

"I've been so miserable this past month. I haven't been able to get you off my mind at all…" she trailed.

Lucas let a soft chuckle escape his lips. "I know that feeling."

"I'm so sorry about the whole thing… I should have told you instead of overreacting the way I did."

"It's okay. Just know that no matter what, if something's bothering you, no matter how trivial, I'm here to talk to. I may not be able to help, but I'm at least here for you."

For the first time since she had woken up, a small smile graced Riley's lips. "Thanks, that means a lot to me. So…" she trailed, "where does that put us now?"

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know. I don't want to force you into anything you aren't ready for. If you want to go back to being friends, then that's fine and we'll leave it at that."

Riley nodded as she thought about it. "I would like to try again, but maybe we could take things slowly and build back up to where we were. Obviously there's still a lot of crap I need to sift through. Maybe you could help?"

"That sounds good to me," Lucas commented as the two of them stood up and headed over to the table to eat. Once they had arrived, Lucas grabbed one of the glasses of orange juice he had set out and raised it. "To a fresh start."

Riley laughed as she picked up the other glass and raised it to meet his. "To a fresh start,"


	28. Chapter 28

_**A/N: Totally didn't mean to post this so late! It's been busy this week. Enjoy!**_

Riley smiled as she glanced at her reflection as she ran her fingers through her loose hair. She turned slightly as she made sure neither her black knit skirt nor her burgundy turtle neck was out of place. Both she and Lucas were meeting up with Maya at Topanga's – the first time they were all able to hang out since the two of them got back together. Needless to say, Riley was looking forward to it before having dinner with the Blakes, Davises, Maya, and Zay at Lucas' apartment.

Once she clipped her bangs back with a jeweled barrette, her phone started to go off. Riley picked it up and saw that the text was from Maya.

 _Hey! Just wanted to ask to see if it would be okay if I brought someone along. I know it's short notice so it's no big deal if you don't want to turn this into a double date._

Riley raised an eyebrow. A double date? As far as she knew, she wasn't aware that Maya was interested in anyone. She shrugged her shoulders as she replied saying that it would be fine with her.

After another few minutes of fussing with her hair, there was a knock on her door and Lucas' head popped in. "You almost ready to go?" he asked.

She nodded as she grabbed her leather jacket and her bag. "Yep! All ready. Oh, just so you know, Maya is bringing someone along... so it'll kind of be a double date," she added once she closed her bedroom door behind her.

Lucas raised an eyebrow as they made their way out of the apartment and headed down the street. "What? Maya's bringing someone along?"

"Mmm… that's what I thought too," Riley replied as she laced her fingers with his. "But I guess I should know by now that anything is possible with Maya."

The two of them shrugged their shoulders as they continued on down the sidewalk towards the bakery. Once they were there, they opted for one of the outdoor tables. After they sat down, Riley breathed in deeply and smiled. While Riley did typically like rain, she was quite happy that the usual rainy month decided to let the sun shine through that day and warm her skin. The past few days had been rather gloomy and it was affecting everyone. Now that the sun was out, people seemed to be a bit chipper.

Riley and Lucas made some small talk, mostly asking how their days had progressed so far, until Riley heard Maya's laugh on the sidewalk above them. She turned to face the stairs that led down to the cage. Once Maya turned the corner, wearing a bright smile that Riley hadn't seen in some time, her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she saw whose arm she was on.

"Are you okay?" Lucas whispered, noticing his girlfriend's reaction.

She merely nodded silently, still in awe at what she was seeing. Once the two were close enough to the table, Riley sprung to her feet and headed towards them. "Farkle! Oh my gosh! Talk about long time no see," she commented as she wrapped her friend in an embrace.

Farkle returned the hug and smiled. "I know…" he trailed.

Once they released, Riley turned to face Lucas, who was now standing. "Lucas, this is Farkle – one of our friends for many memorable years. Farkle, this is Lucas, my boyfriend." The two men shake hands and exchanged pleasantries as the girls sat down at the table, both filled with utmost glee.

"I'm going to go grab us some food," Lucas commented as he turned towards the bakery door. "Riley, do you want anything?"

She nodded. "Yep! My usual," she smiled.

"I'll go with you," Farkle added.

"Hey could I have –," Maya started, but Farkle cut her off.

"– Mint hot chocolate with a muffin," he finished. "Am I right?"

Happy that he remembered, Maya nodded and the two of them headed inside.

Of course, once they were gone, Riley immediately plagued Maya with questions. "Holy moly, Maya! When did he come back? What happened to him? Are you two really back together?"

Maya let out a laugh as she clasped her hands on the table. "He came back about a week and a half ago – the same morning Hop Along found you at the bar. He came back to talked to me about us and why he left in the first place. Farkle's been looking for a new apartment to stay in nearby. He found one in the same complex as me, which is great, and he moves in tomorrow. And yes, we are back together; however, we're taking things slowly."

"That's great Maya. I'm happy for you," Riley commented. "So why did he leave?"

Maya shrugged as Farkle and Lucas came out the door with everyone's stuff. "I think that would be better if he explained it. After all, he knows the reason better than I do."

After passing out everything, Lucas and Farkle sat down next to the girls. Once seated, Riley started, "Hey Farkle."

Farkle raised an eyebrow as he unwrapped his Danish. "Yeah?"

"It's nice to have you back."

He smiled. "It's good to be back."

"I have an idea," she continued. "We're all getting together for dinner at Lucas' apartment with two other couples, why don't you join us? It would be nice to be able to catch up and have it feel a bit like old times."

Farkle nodded. "If that's okay with everyone, I would really enjoy that. Thank you."

"Anytime."

OoOoO

Everyone was scattered about Lucas' small apartment, all with wine glasses in hand and chatting while both Lucas and Riley were putting the finishing touches on dinner. Riley eyed Farkle talking amongst Junior and Kris, and it wasn't long before he started laughing at something Junior had said. To her, it seemed like he was fitting in quite well. She looked over at Dani and Maya who were sitting on the couch, sipping wine, and enjoying each other's company. Every once in a while, she would catch Maya stealing a glance at Farkle, and she couldn't help but notice a certain gleam in her eye – one that she hadn't seen in a long time.

While everyone else seemed to be talking and laughing, RJ and Zay were in a rather heated discussion over something – Riley couldn't tell what, probably about the upcoming season.

Just seeing the whole group here together made Riley smile, which didn't go unnoticed by Lucas.

He walked over to her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Riley nuzzled him a bit as she shrugged. "I don't know… just thinking about how lucky we are to have such great friends in our life. It's hard enough to have one close friend, and look how many we have."

"Amen to that," he agreed as he unclasped his hands and began to take the roast over to the table. Riley followed suit by bringing everything else over.

Once the two migrated from the kitchen to the dining area, everyone took that as a sign that dinner was ready. After everyone was seated, Lucas felt the need to address everybody. "Just a few moments ago, Riley mentioned at how lucky we were to have all of you as friends, and I can't help but agree. Everyone seated here has become an important part of our lives, and have helped shape them into who they are now – both new and old friends. Thank you all for being there, no matter what."

After a brief moment of silence, Lucas added, "Okay, enough of the sap, let's eat!"

 _ **A/N: One more chapter, and then the epilogue… are you ready?**_


	29. Chapter 29

_**A/N: Happy New Year everyone! A special thanks to those that submitted ideas for this chapter and the epilogue. They gave me great insight onto how to wrap up the story.**_

Riley leaned against the railing outside of the horse barn and let out a sigh. Her eyes glanced over Raintree Farms in front of her. For the most part it was rather quiet – the only sounds being that of the horses neighing and the clanging sound of the practice gates opening suddenly on the track. She couldn't think of a better place to be at the moment as she inhaled the cool air. It wasn't nearly as cold as New York's early October wind would be, but right now she didn't care.

The sound of hooves clicking on the gravel reached her ears, and Riley turned to see Lucas leading two thoroughbreds out of the barn. She smiled as stuck her hands in her vest pockets and walked towards him – her ponytail swishing as she moved.

Lucas returned the smile as he looked at her. No matter what, he always found himself smiling around her. She made his anger melt away, comforted him when he was upset, and somehow made his heart soar even higher when he was already happy. Honestly, there was no one like her. Riley was truly special to him.

He handed her a set of reins and asked, "Are you ready?"

Riley nodded as she took them from him. Lucas helped her mount her horse, Pretzel, and then swung up on his, Lancelot's Ghost. Once the two were ready, they pressed their heels into their horses' sides and headed towards the fields beyond the horse farm itself.

As much as Lucas wanted to race Riley to the cottonwoods, he knew better. It was something that he used to do with Zay when they rode together all the time, but she was definitely not Zay. While she knew how to handle a horse, she wasn't as skilled as he was. That came from years of growing up around them.

After finding the river, they brought their horses' pace down to a trot, then to a walk. Upon slowing down, Riley raised an eyebrow as she noticed something set up underneath one of the cottonwoods a little ways away. "Lucas, what is that?" she pointed.

He smiled as he glanced at the area she pointed out. "Oh, nothing…" he said nonchalantly, "just a picnic I set up for us."

Riley let out a sigh as she shook her head and smiled. "Lucas… you didn't have to do that."

The two of them came to a stop, dismounted, and tied their horses to a nearby tree. "I know," he replied, "but I wanted to. I wanted you to relax as much as possible during this vacation, and I thought this would be fun."

She took ahold of Lucas' hands and placed a kiss on his lips. "Thank you so much. You're the best, you know that?"

Lucas shrugged as they sat down on the blanket. "I try."

Riley giggled as she eagerly started pulling food out of the basket. "Turkey and kale sandwiches, fresh rolls, cookies, lemonade… everything looks amazing!"

"Well, I can't take credit for any of the food. Kris and Junior made it."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought Kris didn't cook that much. And Junior doesn't strike me as a guy who would know how to cook…" she trailed.

Lucas let out a small laugh at her comments. "Had you said that about Junior a few years ago, you would have been right. Junior has been trying to distance himself from his father, and what better way is that than learning to take care of yourself? After they were married, Kris also tried her fair share at cooking."

Riley smiled as she took a bite out of one of the rolls. "Well it tastes amazing. You better get some before I eat it all."

Lucas swiped one of the cookies and smiled. "Don't worry, I will."

OoOoO

After another few days at Raintree, Lucas and Riley started to make the trip back to New York. Riley didn't understand why Lucas wanted to make the drive from the horse farm back to city, especially seeing how it was across the country. However, Lucas played it off as a reason to spend more time with her, which she could kind of see. Without flying there, she was able to take about a week and a half off from work, which she had no objection to.

The first day of driving was nearly over, of which Riley was thankful. Being stuck in a cramped car for most of the day was not what she'd call fun. While being in the car itself wasn't fun, she did enjoy the talks that she and Lucas had. Some of them were about their upcoming schedules, and others contained goofier material such as arguing over which was better – Narnia or Lord of the Rings. Conversation was something they always had in their relationship, even when they were just friends.

Lucas pulled off the interstate and began to head through a small town, causing Riley to raise an eyebrow. The place they were now in was oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it for some reason. No matter how hard she wracked her brain, she couldn't figure out where they were or why she knew this place.

After a few more minutes, Lucas pulled into a dirt field and parked near a large white tent. Once he turned the car off, Lucas looked over at Riley. "Recognize where we are?" he asked.

Riley continued to look around. The place still looked familiar – her mind was practically screaming at her that she had been here before, but she still couldn't place it. She shook her head. "No, I don't. I recognize it, but I can't place it for some reason."

Lucas smiled as he opened his door. "I think you'll remember in a moment," he said as he stepped out of the car.

Riley followed her boyfriend's actions and stepped out of the car. She took ahold of his hand as they headed towards the white tent on the property. Once they stepped inside, Riley looked around and eyed the fenced in arena and she immediately knew where they were. "It's where we first met," she concluded as she approached the arena and leaned on the metal gate.

"Yep," Lucas responded as he stepped beside her.

"Any reason why we're here?"

Instead of responding to her question, a puzzled expression came over Lucas' features. "What's that?" he asked, gesturing towards the center of the arena. He climbed over the fence and headed towards the area of the arena where a dark object sat. Lucas picked it up, dusted the dirt off of it, and flung it in Riley's direction. She immediately threw her hands up in front of her face to make whatever he just threw didn't hit her in the face. The soft material of it brushed her palms and her fingers clamped down on it. Riley brought her hands down and saw his hat in front of her once again.

"What's this about?" she called after him.

Lucas beckoned for her to join him. "Come over here and I'll show you!"

Shaking her head, Riley climbed over the fence and skipped over to where her boyfriend stood, his hat still in hand. "Okay, I'm here, what's this about?" she asked as she tried to hand his hat back over to him.

However, Lucas wouldn't take it. Instead, he took ahold of her free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Riley, I know we've only been dating for about a year now, but despite that I know you've come to be such an important part of my life." Upon hearing this, Riley couldn't help but tilt her head slightly and smile, causing Lucas's knees to weaken slightly. "You're a bright light that anyone would be lucky to have, and I'm glad that I was able to find you. It seems that after we first met, we kept on running into each other. I took that as a sign that we were supposed to be, at least, friends. I'm so glad that that happened – because with you, I've become the man that I wanted to be… the man you deserve." Once he finished his sentence, he dropped down to one knee and revealed an open ring box in his other hand. Lucas saw Riley's eyes widen with delight and such surprise as she realized what was happening. "Riley Matthews, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Riley paused only a moment in shock before she squealed, "Yes!"

Eagerly, Lucas stood up and slid the ring on her finger before grabbing her around the waist and swinging her around, causing Riley to yelp in surprise. Once he stopped, he placed a kiss on her lips, grabbed his hat, and placed it on her head. The two of them giggled as tears filled Riley's eyes.

"Mrs. Riley Friar – I rather like the sound of that."

"I thought it had a nice ring to it," he responded before spinning her about again, causing them to giggle in delight.

 _ **A/N: What did you think of the last chapter? Only the epilogue remains! Them arguing about LoTR vs Narnia is remnant of the arguments my boyfriend and I have over the two – we enjoy both of them, but we have our favorites :) See you soon with the epilogue!**_


	30. Epilogue

_**A/N: Holy cow… it's the epilogue! Boy does time fly! Be sure to read my final author's note before you head out, it has something that you may be interested in.**_

 _Three years later..._

Lucas' jaw fell open as he listened to what his wife had said on the other end of the line. "What? How? The due date isn't even for another couple of weeks yet!"

" _Really? Lucas, of all the people that can say that, you're not one of them! You're studying to be a vet; you should know that babies can come early."_

He shook his head as he leaned up against the counter in the kitchen. "I know… I know… I just wasn't expecting it to happen early."

" _I highly doubt anyone does. Anyway, my mom is driving me there now, and my dad is coming by our apartment in a few minutes. Please get here soon – I know first babies usually take a while but I want you to be here!"_

"Don't worry. I'll be heading out almost immediately after your dad gets here," Lucas replied. They exchanged goodbyes and Lucas hung up his phone. Although he was mostly calm on the phone, it didn't take long for panic to surge through him.

Riley was in labor; he was going to be a father.

Lucas dashed out of the kitchen, headed into their bedroom, and started to gather some things that he thought Riley might need. "Her bag, her bag… where is her bag?!" he muttered to himself as he searched underneath their bed, stood up, and then flung most of their clothes out of the tightly packed closet. Once he located her bag, Lucas stuffed everything into it and then rushed back out into the living area as he mentally checked off what he had.

"Oh! I nearly forgot –" he began, but was cut off by the front door opening and revealed his father-in-law.

Cory couldn't help but shake his head and smile. "Well… this doesn't look familiar at all," he said sarcastically as he shut the door behind him.

"I'm almost ready, sir. I just have to… have to…" Lucas trailed as he tried to remember what else it was that he needed to get.

Mr. Matthews raised his hand slightly before him. "Lucas, take a seat," he said as he made his way over to the sofa.

Lucas' eyes followed him, but more panic gripped him. "No… no I can't. I don't have time to sit; I have to finish getting ready so Riley won't have to go through this alone."

"Believe me, Lucas. There's still plenty of time before that happens. Besides, this will only take a few minutes."

Reluctantly, Lucas walked over and sat down beside him, dropping the bag at the foot of the couch. He clasped his hands in front of him and waited for his father-in-law to speak.

"I remember when Riley was born. Topanga went into labor just as we were about to sit down to dinner. I remember being as freaked out as you are now… well, probably a bit more freaked out since how you're acting is pretty much me on a day to day basis," he joked lightly, which made Lucas smile. "When Topanga was getting checked in at the hospital, my dad pulled me aside to tell me something that I needed to hear, and I think you need to hear it as well. I know you're panicking right now… in reality, you'll be freaking out internally for nearly the rest of your life. But that's parenthood and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It's amazing to see your children grow up in front of you. But right now, Riley needs you clear headed. Do you think you can give her that?"

After listening intently, Lucas nods. "I think I can, but I'm also worried about how much time I'll be able to help her since classes and work take up a good chunk of time. I'm afraid she'll struggle."

"It may seem like that at times, but don't worry. Riley's boss is flexible and is allowing her to work at home if she needs to. He'll probably even allow her to bring the baby to work if need be. I'm not going to lie – it'll probably be hard balancing everything. Both Topanga and I were working as much as we could while finishing college and taking care of Riley, but we also had Eric helping us along. You'll have Maya and Farkle to help out, too, and don't forget that we're not that far away either. There are plenty of people here to help you and Riley out when you need it."

Hearing what Cory had to say definitely helped ease some of the tension. Lucas breathed deeply and let it out slowly. "Thank you, sir."

Cory clapped his hand on his son-in-law's shoulder. "Anytime. Come on now, let's go."

OoOoO

"This is all your fault!" Riley said through gritted teeth as another contraction came.

Lucas shook his head as he stood beside her bed. She had been saying similar things to him for the past few hours, and he honestly can't blame her right now. He would not want to trade spots with her at all. While the epidural was helping, it didn't relieve all of the pain. "You do realize we both agreed to try for a child, right?"

"Still your fault!" she retorted as she followed her doctor's instructions. She continued to push at each contraction, but Riley felt that at this rate their baby will never be born.

"Just a couple more pushes. Push! Push!"

 _I_ am _pushing! What do you think I've been doing?!_ Riley's thoughts yelled as she gave it her all. It wasn't long before the sound of a newborn's crying reached her ears.

A sigh of relief escaped Riley's mouth as she let her head fall back into the mattress. Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at Lucas.

"Congratulations on the birth of your baby girl," the doctor said as she wrapped the newborn carefully and handed her to Riley.

Once Riley held her in her arms, she immediately fell in love. She had a little tuff of brown hair on her head, her mother's almond shaped eyes, and her father's nose. Gradually, Lucas knelt beside them and cupped his hand on Riley's cheek.

"She's beautiful – just like her mother."

Riley smiled as she turned to face him. "I want another."

Lucas felt his shoulders deflate a bit. "Even after all that?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "The pain doesn't compare to the love I have for her."

Lucas smiled as he shifted his gaze from Riley to his new daughter. "Welcome to the world, Abigale Marie."

 _Seven years later…_

Abigale Friar stood at the fenced in area as she eyes many children her age attempting to master riding a sheep for eight seconds. Most of them fell soon after the gate opened, but there were a few that held on for a while. She didn't know why, but it really sparked her interest.

"Abbi," her father called out, causing her to turn towards his voice. She turned to see her father and mother walking towards her, her two year old sister on her mother's hip. A huge smile spread over her lips as her dad got down on his knees, ruffled her hair, and looked towards the small arena. "What are you looking at?"

"That, daddy!" she exclaimed as she eagerly pointed at the sheep running out of the chute as the buzzer sounded.

"Ah, mutton busting," he said as he picked Abbi up in his arms. "I remember doing that when I was around your age."

A small smile spread across her lips. "Can I try?"

Lucas and Riley looked at each other. "What do you say, Riles?" Lucas asked.

Riley bit her lips as she thought about it. "I don't know…" she trailed. "Do you think she'll be alright?"

"She'll be fine. The worst that could happen is that she gets some bruises if she falls. All the kids wear protection so they won't get hurt. It's not like me riding a bull."

After another moment's thought, Riley agrees. "Okay, you go find where we need to sign her up. Samantha and I will be up in the stands."

With an eager squeal, Abbi wriggles free of her dad's grasp and sprints off towards the sign up tent. Once she takes off, Lucas quickens his pace to a jog to make sure he doesn't lose her in the crowd… again. She's definitely like her mother in that she seizes any good opportunity given to her, and she doesn't waste a moment in doing so.

After they sign her up, Lucas takes her over to get ready which was a bit of a struggle since Abbi had a difficult time containing her excitement. "Are you going to watch me, daddy? Are you?"

Lucas chuckled as he clipped the helmet on her. "You bet. I'll be sitting with your mom and cheering for you the entire time."

A beaming smile came over her as she hugged his legs. "Thank you!"

"Any time, my little cowgirl. Now, you have about five minutes until it's your turn, do you think you'll be okay if I go find your mom now?"

Abbi nodded. "I'll be fine!"

Lucas smiled as he headed over to the stands and sat down next to Riley, who immediately handed off their other daughter to him.

"Your turn for a while. She won't sit still with me… so, how's Abbi?"

Lucas smiled as he bounced Samantha on his knee. "She's good – really excited for her turn to come, which should be soon, actually."

Once Lucas finished his sentence, the announcer came over the loud speaker, "And now for Abbi Friar riding Trudy!"

The clanging sound of the gate opening reached Lucas' ears and the sheep Abbi was riding shot out of the gate at full speed.

… _Two…_

… _Three…_

 _...Four…_

Despite Trudy jerking about a bit as she ran, Abbi was determined to hang on as tightly as she could. Lucas hollered out to her, telling her she could do it.

… _Five…_

… _Six…_

… _Seven…_

The buzzer sounded, signaling the success of her eight second ride. Both Riley and Lucas cheered for their daughter as the workers herded the sheep towards the exit. Once both of them were out of the ring, Riley looked over at Lucas with a knowing grin on her lips.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Just like her father."

 _ **A/N: And that's a wrap! I'm sorry if the birthing scene isn't that realistic. I have yet to have children and I tried to combine some stories that I've heard. Anyway, thank you to all that have favorited, reviewed, followed, and helped give me some ideas throughout this entire experience! Not am I only sad that this is fic is over, but I'm also saddened that Girl Meets World has been cancelled. In a way I'm okay with its cancellation because of the way a part of the fandom has treated the actors/ writers and I have not been impressed with quite a few of the episodes lately, but when the writers did what they wanted (and didn't listen to the fans) it was amazing. I know on Tumblr there are some people messaging fic writers saying not to stop, especially now, and I will try not to stop writing for GMW. This is where you come in. I honestly have no ideas right now, so I will be opening up requests for you. They must follow the guidelines I have posted on my page, but I will try and get to them! I'm approaching my final semester in college, I'm trying to look for a job for after I graduate, AND I'm attempting to write some original short stories and a book. So I will definitely try! So be sure to PM me some ideas!**_

 _ **Until then, lovelies. cowgirlangel95 out!**_


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